


It's Not Easy Being Green Carded

by gilesbabe



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-04
Updated: 2012-09-04
Packaged: 2017-11-13 13:56:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 52,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/504227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gilesbabe/pseuds/gilesbabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Synopsis: Giles is informed that his green card has been revoked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Problem

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers: This is an alternate universe. In my world, none of the episodes between The Freshman and Hush occurred. Willow has always been Buffy's room mate, Oz left on tour with his band and parted amicably with Willow, Riley is just a nice college guy, and Angel never returned from LA. Originally posted to my lj in 2006

It was with an impending sense of doom that Rupert Giles opened the letter. He already knew what the contents would be, had known as soon as he pulled the letter from his mailbox. His worst fears were confirmed when he read:

Dear Mr. Giles,  
It has been brought to our attention that your position as Librarian at Sunnydale High School was terminated due to the destruction of the school, and that you have as yet found no further employment.

Upon further investigation, we have determined that your sponsor, RCOW, Ltd. has withdrawn its sponsorship.

Therefore, it is the ruling of this department that your status as a resident alien is no longer valid and your green card is being revoked.  
An agent of this office will be in Sunnydale on the 23rd to meet with you. You may petition to challenge our ruling at this time.  
Sincerely, 

H. Cavanaugh  
Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services  
Los Angeles Branch

Giles read the letter through for the third time, taking a drink from the glass of scotch he had poured. Anger swept over him in a burning wave. "Dammit!" He threw the glass into the fireplace.

His momentary satisfaction at hearing the glass shatter was replaced by embarrassment when behind him he heard a timid, "Uh, Giles? Is something wrong?"

Giles drew a deep breath and turned to see Willow and another young lady standing in his open doorway. Bloody hell, he had been so upset he had forgotten to close the door. "Please, come in. I apologize for my outburst. I have just received some upsetting news." He ran his hand through his hair. "Though to be perfectly honest, it's not completely unexpected."

Willow moved forward and placed her hand on his arm. "Giles, what is it? Has someone died?"

Without a word, he handed her the letter and went into the kitchen to make tea. From the living room he heard, "No, they can't do this." Turning, he saw Willow standing in the doorway.

"You can't leave. We have to stop this. The 23rd? But that's Monday, that's only three days from now." Willow's eyes filled with tears. "You can't go back to England. What would we do without you?" She blinked rapidly, then frowned. "Who is RCOW, Ltd. and why did they stop sponsoring you?"

"It's the Council, and they stopped sponsoring me when they fired me. I expected them to push the issue and have me deported at the time. I suppose they decided to keep themselves free of blame by waiting until my resident alien status was reviewed and allow it to happen naturally."

He ushered her back into the living room. "No use dwelling on the matter, it's beyond our control. What brings you here? Is there some problem?"

Willow blushed. "No, no problem. I, ah, I just wanted to introduce you to Tara." She turned to the other girl, who stepped forward shyly. "Tara, Giles. Giles, Tara."

"Hello, Mr. Giles." Tara said softy as she hesitantly offered her hand. "It's nice to meet you. Willow talks about you a lot."

Giles smiled and took the proffered hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tara. I apologize again for my outburst earlier. I'm afraid I didn't make a very good first impression."

"That's all right, you were upset."

Willow broke in, impatiently, "What do you mean it's beyond our control? There has to be something we can do. They can't just make you leave. We need you, Buffy needs you."

Giles started to speak, but the teakettle began to whistle. He gestured for the girls to sit down as he went to the kitchen to prepare the tea. When Giles returned, he placed the tray on the coffee table. Willow automatically assumed the role of 'Mother' and fixed everyone's cup.

Giles watched the familiarity between the two girls. He tilted his head to the side, looking at Willow curiously. She looked at peace, more at peace than he had seen her since Oz had left. Willow looked up and when she saw his regard, she blushed. Giles smiled gently. "You look happy, Willow. I’m glad."

Her eyes widened and the blush deepened. "I, ah, it’s just….." she fumbled for the words.

"I take it I’m the first person you’ve introduced Tara to? Relax, Willow. Love knows no boundaries, and neither does true friendship. The others won’t judge you."

"I’m pretty sure that Xander will be okay, but I don’t know about Buffy. She can be kind of rigid sometimes."

"Buffy may be surprised, but she is your friend. Once she knows you are happy, she’ll come around."

Willow smiled, then frowned. She put on her Resolve face. "You’re trying to distract me. We have to research, find a way to keep you here. We need you."

Giles sighed. "Willow, how long have you known Tara?"

"A little over a month. We had seen each other on campus, but we didn’t really meet until the thing with the Gentlemen."

"And how recent is this development between the two of you?"

Willow smiled at Tara. "A couple of weeks." She turned back to Giles. "I know it seems kinda fast, but we really are sure. It’s not rebound or anything."

"A couple of weeks, and Buffy doesn’t know? I thought she was your roommate at the dorm."

"Well, yeah, but Tara and I have been meeting at her place, and Buffy has been dating this guy from our Psych class." Her voice trailed away at the look on Giles’ face. "You didn’t know about Riley either?"

"Willow, I have seen Buffy twice since the night we blew up the school. The first time was over that vampire, Friday, and the second time was because of the Gentlemen. Since the vampire and demon population of Sunnydale has not increased, I assume that she is still patrolling, but as she has not been reporting to me it is only an assumption. Xander has found a job he enjoys and co-workers who accept him for who he is. You have found your peace with Oz and have begun a new relationship. All of this was done without my help or guidance. You are no longer children; you are young adults, making your own decisions and living your own lives. Buffy is doing quite well without me, you all are."

Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "As I said before, the news was not completely unexpected. In fact, I had been considering moving back to England. When Olivia was here during our trouble with the Gentlemen she asked me to go with her then, but I thought that Buffy." His voice trailed away. He looked back at Willow and she gasped at the sadness in his eyes. "This seems to have taken the decision out of my hands. I hate to be rude, but I think you should leave, I don't think I'll be very good company right now." 

The girls' rose to leave and Giles walked to the door with them. Willow gave him a long hug, reluctant to let him go. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" She looked up at him with teary eyes.

"Willow, it will be all right, you'll all be fine." As her arms tightened he continued, "You saw the letter. I'll be here at least until the 23rd. You may call me tomorrow if you wish."

Willow gave him one last squeeze, then released him and walked away with Tara. Giles stood in the doorway, watching them until they were out of sight, then closed the door. He crossed the room and sat down on the sofa, leaning his head back wearily.

So, Buffy was dating a young man from one of her classes. He was happy for her, he truly was. It was what he had wanted for her, a normal life. It was just that he had always imagined that he would be a part of that life. As mentor, advisor, even as substitute father if that was how she wanted to see him, but he had always pictured himself as having some place in her life.

In fact it had been his own foolish actions, his desire for her to see him as a man, that had driven her away. Her words had stung, but only a little. He knew that it had been the arrogance of youth talking. He had been the same at her age. What had really bothered him had been the reason behind the jealousy in her voice. 

It wasn't that she saw him as a man, and was sexually jealous. It was that she saw him as her property and she was jealous of him having a life without her. At first he hadn't been surprised by her absence after the incident. It was an unconscious desire on her part to punish him. 'You don't need me, I don't need you'. But as the weeks turned into months, and still no calls, no visits, he began to despair. She had completely shut him out of her life. He had attempted to make the first move, but she had never returned his calls. She really didn't need him.

At this point Olivia had stopped by again, and had seen how disconnected from the others he had become. She had asked him to return to England with her, and he had been thinking about it, when the Gentlemen had come to Sunnydale. Although this glimpse into what his life was really like had frightened Olivia away, he had thought it had brought Buffy back. But after the crisis was over the days and weeks had again passed without sight or sound of her. 

What was a Watcher without someone to watch? Nothing. He had allowed himself to become nothing. How Ethan would laugh if he could see him now. Obviously this was just the kick in the pants he had needed. Time to go back to England and have a life. Be somebody again. 

He rose from his seat. Three days. While he was relatively certain they wouldn't make him actually leave the country on the 23rd, he should begin preparing for his departure. He went to the telephone book to find a place that sold packing boxes.

 

Willow's thoughts were in turmoil as she walked towards the dorm with Tara. And the more she thought, the angrier she became. "He's giving up. He's just going to let them deport him. This is all Buffy's fault. He is her Watcher, but she's been ignoring him and he feels useless. You heard him, he didn't even know that she is dating Riley. She is so going to get a piece of my mind."

The remainder of the trip was silent; each girl considering what should be done next. Entering her room, Willow went over to the computer and turned it on. "First things first. We need to check out the INS web site and find some loophole that will allow Giles to stay." Tara nodded her agreement and the two settled down to do the research.

 

Three hours later, Willow pushed back from the desk and began pacing the room. "He was right, there's nothing we can do. Without a sponsor and without a job the INS considers him useless and thinks he shouldn't be in the country." She looked at Tara, tears flowing down her face. "He's not useless. He's saved me, saved the world, so many times. He let himself be tortured for hours rather than give up information to Angelus. He taught me magic, showed me I was someone special. Tara, I can't lose him, I just can't." Willow flung herself onto the bed, sobbing.

Tara sat and pulled Willow into her arms, rocking her gently and rubbing her back until the crying stopped. Willow was just beginning to pull away when the door was flung open and Buffy rushed into the room.

"Hey, Willow. Who's your friend?" Buffy continued across the room, not waiting for an answer. She disappeared into the closet and moments later the clothes she had been wearing flew across the room into the laundry basket. Seconds later she emerged wearing a different outfit and headed for the mirror. With lightening speed she began applying make-up.

"Buffy, this is my friend Tara. Buffy, I need to tell you something."

"Hi, Tara, nice to meet you. Sorry, Will, I'm busy, whatever it is will have to wait. Riley is waiting for me." She headed for the door.

"But, Buffy, it's important. It's about," the door slammed shut, "Giles." Willow stared blankly at the closed door, then began to frown. "This is all her fault," she said angrily. "We need to do more research. There has to be a way." Her face set in determined lines as she continued. "And if we don't find one and he has to leave, little miss 'I'm busy' will regret it for the rest of her life. I'll see to it."

Watching Willow, Tara shuddered. For just a minute she had felt power, dark power, surround Willow. She was right; she needed Mr. Giles. When Tara had touched his hand, she had felt the strength of his magic. His aura was one of the purest she had even seen. Willow needed him to keep her on the right path. There had to be a way.

 

The next morning two dispirited young women knocked on Giles' apartment door. He smiled and ushered them in. On the sofa a teary eyed Anya clung to a shocked looking Xander. Willow pulled Giles into a hug. "I'm sorry, Giles. I couldn't find anything that would work."

Giles briefly returned the hug then released her. "It's all right, Willow, I didn’t think that you would." He took a deep breath and smiled. "No sad faces. Why don't I treat everyone to breakfast? There's a lovely little coffee shop not far from here, and it's a beautiful morning. The walk will do us good." He led the way back out the door.

As Giles walked ahead with Tara and Anya, Xander pulled Willow next to him and whispered, "Where's Buffy?"

Willow's eyes flashed angrily. "She's still asleep," she hissed. "She had a date with Riley last night and I don't know what time she got in."

"She went on a date?" Xander was speechless for a few minutes. "She left you to research Giles' problem and went on a date?"

"Buffy doesn't even know Giles has a problem. I tried to tell her but she just blew me off. Then I found a note from her this morning telling me to get her up at 10:00. TELLING ME, like I was her maid or something." The two walked in silence until Giles looked back at them in concern.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, no problem." Xander said, trying to smile. "Just deep thoughts. You know us, deep thinkers." He made a face. "Babble seems to be contagious."

Giles smiled and continued to walk, but the day seemed dimmer. Buffy. They must have been talking about Buffy. Apparently not even his imminent departure would bring her to see him. No, no thinking about that today. Plenty of time to brood when he was back in England. Time with Willow and Xander was too precious to waste on regrets.

Breakfast was a lively affair. Xander and Willow embarrassed Giles by telling Tara and Anya stories about the 'Tweedy book guy'. Of course, behind every funny story was an unspoken sorrow, but they pretended, just for today, that those didn't exist. Afterward, they walked back to Giles' apartment and began categorizing and packing his extensive collection of books.

 

Buffy woke, lying with her eyes closed for a few more minutes. She felt more rested than she had in a long time, but she couldn't have gotten that much sleep, cause it wasn't 10:00 yet. She had almost drifted back to sleep, when something that had been nagging on the edge of her consciousness came into focus. The dorm was awfully quiet for early Saturday morning. She opened her eyes and looked at the alarm clock.

11:45.

11:45! She was supposed to meet Riley at noon. She was going to be late! Buffy jumped out of bed, intending to yell at Willow for letting her sleep, but saw that the room was empty. She frowned. Willow must have not seen her note; otherwise she wouldn't have left without waking her up. 

As she took a step towards the bathroom she felt something under her foot. On the floor, in little pieces, was the note she had left on Willow's side of the nightstand. Buffy stared at the pieces in bewilderment. Why had Willow torn up the note? Shaking her head she rushed into the bathroom. No time to wonder about it now, she'd ask Willow about it later. 

Five minutes later she came face to face with a large note that Willow had left on the door. 

IN CASE YOU CARE  
Giles is in trouble and needs our help. I tried to tell you last night but you were in too much of a hurry to be with Riley to stop and listen.  
Willow

Buffy stared at the note, her mind not comprehending the message. She began to feel dizzy and backed up to sit down on her bed. The words kept going through her mind, Giles is in trouble. She drew a deep breath and tried to steady her pounding heart. Giles is in trouble. 

Even from the bed she could see the first line of the note. Big capital letters, in bright red. In case you care. Buffy thought back to the evening before and now saw what she hadn't seen then; Willow's tear streaked face. Giles is in trouble.

Buffy rushed out of the dorm, all thoughts of Riley forgotten.

Running the entire way, she made it to Giles' apartment in record time. Buffy opened the door so forcefully it slammed against the inner wall. Her eyes scanned the startled faces until she saw the one she was looking for. She rushed across the room and grabbed Giles in a bruising hug. After a few seconds Buffy pulled back, looking at him anxiously. 

"What's wrong? How were you hurt? Where were you hurt? Who hurt you? Do you need me to kill them?" Her eyes left his face and traveled over his body, looking for obvious signs of injury. Her hands slid up his arms to cup his head, fingers running through his hair feeling for bumps.

Giles closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Bad idea. Her Slayer's body produced a stronger pheromone than the average woman's did; this is what drew vampires to her. Add to that the increased hormones of her fright, her elevated body heat from her run, along with that tropical smelling body lotion she wore and he was enveloped in essence of Buffy.

When she had rushed into the room all of his senses had kicked into high, the primitive fight or flight response alerting him to possible danger. Then to have her press that beautiful body against his and run her hands through his hair……. His body was demanding that he go to option three: rip her clothes off, push her to the floor and shag her senseless. 

"Giles?" The hands left his hair and traveled to his shoulders. "Giles, what's wrong?" She gave him a little shake. He opened his eyes and stared into hers. Whatever she saw there caused her to blink, blush and move quickly away from him.

There was a moment of silence that was broken by Xander's sarcastic, "Gee, good to see you Buffy. Nice that you could take time out of your busy schedule to come visit with us."

"Yeah," Willow chimed in, "I'm surprised that you could get your mind off Riley long enough to read my note." She continued in a cutting voice, "Giles isn't hurt, not physically, and there's nothing for you to kill, so I guess we don't really need you after all." She looked at her watch. "If you hurry I'm sure you can still catch Riley."

Giles stared at her in shock. "Willow," he began, but was interrupted.

"No, don't defend her. This is all her fault. If she hadn't been such a selfish little bitca this wouldn't be happening." Willow glared at Giles, who glared back.

Buffy broke in, "What is my fault? Would someone please tell me what is going on? What is the problem and why are all of you….." her voice trailed off, noticing for the first time the boxes that were being packed. She looked at Giles, fear in her eyes. "Giles?" she asked in a trembling voice.

Willow grabbed the letter from the coffee table and shoved it in Buffy's hand. "This is what's your fault." She stomped across the room to stand next to Tara, turning to watch Buffy's reaction.

Buffy read the letter through once, raised stricken eyes to Giles, then read it again. The color left her face and she shook her head. "No," her voice quivered, "No, they can't make you leave. You're my Watcher, I need you here with me." She felt dizzy again, and knew that this time she wouldn't make it to a seat. Her legs gave out and she went down.


	2. The Solution?

 

Giles moved quickly and caught Buffy before she hit the floor. He carried her over to the sofa, laid her on the cushions and elevated her legs with the pillows. Tara rushed into the kitchen to get a glass of water while Xander and Anya hovered nearby. Only Willow remained aloof, staying next to the bookcase and watching the scene with angry eyes.

Buffy lay with her eyes closed, taking deep breaths. The roaring in her ears had stopped, and the room no longer felt like it was spinning. She could feel Giles kneeling beside her, his hand gently smoothing her hair away from her face. Another deep breath carried his scent, the scent she always associated with Giles; tea, wool, leather, dust, and something she had never been able to identify. A scent that she had never smelled on anyone else.

Never having read the Slayer Handbook, Buffy didn’t know that as her Watcher Giles’ scent had been imprinted into her subconscious during their training sessions. This was a type of safety devise, allowing her to be aware of his location during encounters with vampires.

Buffy took one last deep breath and opened her eyes. Gentle green eyes, full of concern, filled her vision. She smiled, feeling relaxed for the first time in months. Lately it seemed that her every waking moment had been filled with the urge to hurry and go somewhere. Even her sleep had been restless, filled with dreams of searching for something that she couldn't find. Time stood still as she lost herself in his gaze.

Xander's embarrassed, "Uh, guys?" had them both blinking rapidly. Giles stood and took a couple of steps away. He replaced his glasses, which he had removed to bring her face into focus when he knelt beside her.

Buffy sat up, her alarm returning when she spotted the letter where she had dropped it on the floor. "Giles, that wasn't real, was it? Can they really make you leave?"

Giles looked at the floor, refusing to meet her gaze. "It is quite real. As an alien I am only allowed to stay in this country if I have a sponsor who will guarantee that I will not become a drain on the country's resources. After the Council withdrew their sponsorship I was afraid this would happen."

"Why didn't you get another job and find another sponsor?" Buffy frowned. "Wait a minute. You haven't had a job since we blew up the school? How can you pay your bills?"

Giles hunched his shoulders. "I don't need much. I inherited money from both my parents, so that isn't an issue. As for a job, being your Watcher is my first priority. I couldn't find a position that would allow the flexibility that might be required."

With the words 'position' and 'flexibility' an image of Olivia popped into Buffy's mind. "Well, at least you've had company. It would have been bad if you'd been alone all this time." Buffy heard a growl and looked over to see Willow face filled with rage. She glanced at the others and noticed disbelief. "What?"

"Buffy, what makes you think I've have company all this time?" 

"Well," she began "Olivia's been here every time I've come to see you, so I thought she was living with you."

"EVERY time you've come over?" Willow broke in angrily. "You've only been here twice since graduation."

"I've come to see Giles more than that." Buffy's voice trailed off as she saw Giles shake his head. "Haven't I?" she added weakly. At everyone's looks' Buffy became defensive. "I was just doing what Giles told me to do."

"Buffy, what are you talking about?" Giles asked, puzzled.

"You told me that I didn't need a Watcher, that I had to learn to handle things on my own. You told me you wanted a private life. Olivia was here so I thought you meant a private life with her. So I stayed away, to let you have a life. I tried to take care of things and not bother you, but I had to when the Gentlemen were here, and Olivia was with you then, so of course I thought she had moved in." Buffy looked pleadingly at Giles. "I was just doing what you wanted me to do."

Giles stared at her, appalled. All this time he thought she was staying away to teach him a lesson and instead she had just been trying to please him. 

Willow again broke in. "Giving him a private life doesn't mean ignoring him for months. It doesn't mean not returning his phone calls. Every time I tried to mention him you would change the subject. Giles told me yesterday that if the Gentlemen hadn't come to town he would have left with Olivia then. How long would it have taken you to notice he was gone?"

Buffy felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. She couldn't seem to catch her breath. She turned a disbelieving gaze back to Giles. "You were going to leave me?" 

Giles instinctively responded to her distress and sat beside her on the sofa, taking her hand. "Buffy, if nothing else these past few months have proved what I told you. You don't need a Watcher. You have been performing your duties as the Slayer and living your life in college without any help from me. You will be fine." 

Buffy jerked her hand away. "You were going to leave me. Were you even going to call and tell me, or would I have found out the next time I came to see you and discovered someone else living here?" At his guilty look she gasped. "You were, you were just going to leave me." Her eyes filled with tears and she rushed out onto his patio.

Giles raked his hand through his hair. "Bloody hell." He followed her. "Buffy." She turned her back to him, averting her face. "Buffy, please." He placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. With a sob, Buffy buried her face against his chest.

"I do need you. I’ve had to fight myself to keep from coming over here, to not call you. You wanted me to stay away, so I did, but it hurt. I felt incomplete, like part of me was missing. Please don’t leave me."

Giles stared blindly across the patio. She had felt it too, the emptiness. His own careless words had kept them apart. All those months without her and now that he knew how to change things it was too late. "I don’t want to leave, especially not now, but it’s not my decision. My green card has been revoked; I’m being deported. There’s nothing we can do."

"There has to be something we can do. We need to research."

"Willow and Tara spent all last evening researching. There is nothing we can do."

"No," Buffy moaned and tightened her hold. "I can’t lose you. It’s been hard not seeing you, but at least I knew you were here. You have to be here. I’d do anything to keep you here."

"Anything?" Buffy and Giles turned to see Willow standing in the doorway with a strange smile on her face.

"Yes, anything." Buffy pulled away and stalked over to Willow. "Why? Is there some way he can stay that you didn’t tell him about? Spill."

"There is one way." Willow turned and went back into the apartment. She walked back over to the bookcase and leaned against it. Buffy rushed after her and Giles followed more slowly, something prodding at the back of his mind. 

"It’s a slim chance, and it would involve a huge sacrifice by somebody. That’s why I didn’t say anything before." Willow smiled sardonically. "I didn’t think anyone would be willing to give up so much for Giles." 

Tara looked at her lover anxiously. "Willow, no."

"Tell me, Will, whatever it is I’ll do it."

"Do you promise? No matter what it is?"

The thing prodding his mind suddenly became a full-blown memory. The plot of a movie called Green Card sprang into Giles’ mind. "Buffy, wait," he started.

Buffy stared into Willow’s eyes. "I promise. Whatever it takes, whatever I have to do to keep Giles here, I’ll do it."

"Marry him."


	3. The Boyfriend in Question

Riley sat at the café, worried. When Buffy had been 10 minutes late he had been amused. She was always ten minutes late. When she was 30 minutes late he had been irritated. She had his cell phone number, she could have had the courtesy to call. She was now over an hour late. Something was wrong.

He again hit speed dial #2 and listened as the phone rang in Buffy's dorm room. And rang, and rang. Still no answer. Maybe something was wrong with the phone. He decided to go to the dorm. He paid his bill and left.

Ten minutes later Riley stood frowning at her door. It was standing partially open. He pushed the door open all the way and entered cautiously, looking around. Buffy's bed was unmade and there were little scraps of paper on the floor next to the bed, but other than that, the room was in perfect order.

He pushed the door closed with his foot and began a more through search, checking surfaces for notes or some other indication as to the girls' whereabouts. The torn pieces of paper had been a note from Buffy to Willow requesting that she get her up in time to meet him this morning. There was nothing else out of the ordinary, nothing to show where Buffy or her roommate was. He turned to leave.

And came face to face with the note on the back of the door. Someone named Giles was in some kind of trouble and Willow seemed upset that Buffy had kept her date with him last night instead of staying at the dorm and helping her.

Giles. He had heard Buffy mention the name before. Giles said this, or Giles did that. When he had asked about this Giles person all she would say was that it was someone she had known in high school. He had formed the impression that Giles was no longer in her life. Willow's note would seem to indicate otherwise. Buffy and Willow must be with this Giles person right now.

Riley stood for a moment, thinking. He could either go back to his dorm room and wait for Buffy to call, or he could find a phone book and try calling Giles. Of course he didn’t know if it was a last or a first name, but even though that was what Willow and Buffy had called him, it didn’t really sound like someone’s first name. He glanced around the room, but there wasn’t a phone book visible and he wasn’t going to open drawers looking for one. He again turned to leave.

The door opened so fast that he had to jump back to avoid being struck. Willow and another girl rushed into the room, stopping short to gape at him. Willow frowned. "What are you doing in my room?"

"I had a date with Buffy and when she didn’t show up or call me I got worried. I came over to see if you knew where she was. I found the door standing open and I let myself in. Do you know where Buffy is?" Riley shifted restlessly. The way Willow was looking at him was making him uncomfortable. He had always known that she didn’t like him for some reason, but the look in her eyes now bordered on hatred.

The two girls exchanged a glance. "Buffy has to go out of town on a family emergency. She’ll be back tomorrow evening." Willow finally said.

"What happened? Is it her father? Do you have a number where I can call her?"

Willow glared at him. "It’s Buffy’s personal business. If she wants you to know what happened, she will tell you about it when she gets back tomorrow. Now, if you don’t mind, you need to leave. Tara and I have to change clothes."

Riley’s face flushed an unbecoming red. "Of course, I’m sorry. I was just going." He hurried through the door and Willow slammed it behind him.

Shaken, Riley went into the common room of the dorm and sat on the couch. It was ridiculous, but he had actually felt afraid of Willow. Anger had been coming from her in almost visible waves. He racked his brain to try to think of what he had done to make her hate him. He looked up at a movement in the doorway. Willow and the girl she had called Tara were rushing out of the dorm.

Riley blinked in bewilderment. They were wearing the same clothes he had seen them in earlier, and they were both carrying overnight bags. He recognized one of them as being Buffy’s. If she was carrying Buffy’s bag, then maybe she hadn’t left town yet. Riley decided to follow them at a distance and see if they led him to Buffy.

 

It was easy trailing them across campus, there were so many people he could hide in the crowds. Also, they were deep in conversation while moving quickly, not looking around at anyone else. He had to fall further behind when they entered the surrounding neighborhood, just in case they did decide to look behind them. The girls appeared to be arguing. Willow made a decisive gesture and Tara shrugged then nodded. They walked in silence for a few blocks, then entered the parking lot of an apartment complex.

Riley hurried forward, not wanting to miss seeing which apartment they entered, then had to stop abruptly. He moved behind the bushes that bordered the entrance to the complex. The girls were standing between two cars in the parking lot, a sporty little red convertible and a tan four-door sedan, talking quietly to another couple. He remembered that Buffy had pointed them out one night at the Bronze. She said she had gone to high school with them. The boy's name was Xander and the girl was Anya. 

Riley frowned. Something was going on. Xander appeared to be arguing with Willow also. They were keeping their voices low and Riley couldn't quite hear what was being said, just catching a word or two, but the body language was pretty explicit. Xander was talking rapidly, waving one hand in emphasis. Willow just let him talk himself out, then said one short sentence and folded her arms glaring at him. Xander flung his hands in the air and turned away. He took a few steps, then spun back and leaned against the sedan, glaring back at Willow. Tara and Anya exchanged looks and shrugged, but said nothing.

Riley stood in the bushes, wondering if he should leave or let the others know he was there. After another five minutes of watching the others stand in silence, he decided to leave. He had taken two steps when he heard a door open and saw the others look around. He followed their gaze and saw Buffy coming out of an apartment. She had the same stubborn, angry, look on her face as Willow. A man carrying a gym bag came out behind her, checking the door to make sure it was locked. 

Buffy rushed down the steps and crossed the parking lot to where Willow was standing. The two traded defiant looks and Willow handed Buffy her overnight bag.

"Buffy!" 

At the sound of the voice, Riley turned his attention back to the man. And ‘man’ was definitely the right word, not boy. From this distance it was hard to tell, but he looked like he was at least in his thirties, if not a little older. He was wearing casual clothes, blue jeans and a denim button up shirt, but there was an aura of power around the man. Riley had heard people described that way before, but had never believed that you could really feel power coming from someone. He believed now. Just looking at the man made him feel uneasy and threatened in some way. The man’s voice carried clearly across the parking lot.

"Buffy, this is a mistake. You don’t have to do this. We’ll find another way."

"That’s all that you’ve been saying for the past hour. There is no other way, Giles. You know that. And I gave my word, I promised, so forget it, we’re going."

Riley looked back at the man, shocked. This was Giles? When Buffy said she knew him in high school he had assumed it was someone in her class. This man was too old for that. He must have been one of her teachers. But, the way she had always spoke of him was as an equal. What the hell was going on? He turned his attention back to the others.

Giles turned to glare at Willow. "That promise was made under duress. Willow didn’t give you all the facts. I know you wouldn’t have agreed to this if you had known what was involved."

"They you don’t know me as well as you think you do. Even if Willow had told me everything first, I would still be doing this. You are important to me, Giles." Buffy looked at her wrist. "We don’t have time for this. Our plane leaves in less than an hour. We can argue when we get back."

"Buffy,"

"Giles, if you’re not in the drivers seat in 30 seconds, I’m driving us to the airport."

Riley saw a panicked look cross Giles’ face. Riley got another shock when, instead of getting in the sedan that Xander was leaning against, Giles rushed around to the drivers' side of the little red convertible. Buffy threw her bag into the back and jumped over the door into the passenger seat. Giles glared at her before exchanging his glasses for sunglasses. He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. The others scrambled into the sedan and quickly followed.

 

Riley walked slowly back to his dorm, reviewing everything that had happened in the past hour. Even though Willow had lied to him about Buffy being gone, somehow the statement that it was a family emergency had felt true. Buffy had said that Giles was important to her, but how? Was he a relative? Buffy had never spoke of him as such, you would think she would have said, my Uncle Giles or my cousin, instead of just Giles. And what about his accent? He had sounded English. Buffy had never mentioned having English relatives. 

Although, now that he thought about it, Buffy had never said much about herself at all. He knew her parents were divorced and that she and her mother had moved to Sunnydale when Buffy was 16. He didn’t ever remember Buffy saying what her father’s name was, or what he did, just that she hadn’t seen him in over two years. Buffy hadn’t even told him her mothers' name. She just always said ‘Mom’. So just who exactly was Giles, and why was he so important to her?

Riley thought back to the image of the two together. There was a definite dynamic going on there, and it wasn’t that of a niece with her uncle. They had been speaking as equals. In fact, Buffy had appeared to be in charge, telling Giles to get in the car and drive her to the airport. And she had said ‘our’ flight and that they would argue when they got back, so he was clearly going with her, wherever that was.

Riley sighed. He didn’t know how he knew, but he had the feeling that Buffy wouldn’t be going out with him again.


	4. Mama Mia!

Buffy sat quietly in her seat; face turned to the window, watching the ground slip away under the plane. By just moving her eyes, she could see the sun glinting off the gold band on her left hand. If she moved her head slightly she could see the gold band on Giles’ hand as well. She sighed. It hadn’t been the kind of wedding she had dreamed of having when she had been a little girl. And it most certainly hadn’t been the wedding night she had started imagining when she found out about sex.

Buffy turned her head to look directly at Giles. He appeared to be asleep, his seat was tilted back slightly and his eyes were closed, but he was too still. No one who was asleep could be that still for that long. Even as she watched, the muscles in his jaw twitched slightly, an indication of the tension he was experiencing. She knew the feeling. Since she had read that note yesterday, her body felt like a giant clenched fist. It was impossible to relax. Neither of them had slept last night, although they had laid on the bed in the honeymoon suite that Willow had reserved for them. When Giles had started to protest not only the expense, but also the mockery of choosing that room, Willow had pointed out that Immigration might check, and things had to appear normal. She had smirked at Buffy while saying that. No doubt about it, Willow was enjoying this way too much.

Buffy took the opportunity to study Giles’ face more closely. Lines of fatigue were cut deeply into the corners of his eyes and mouth. He was thinner, his hair was a little grayer, and there appeared to be a little less of it in the front. Apparently these last few months hadn’t been easy on him either. Was she responsible for that? She hadn't gone to see him over the summer because she had wanted to give him time, time to stop thinking of her as a high school student. To see that she was no longer the child who believed she was tied to Angel by guilt. To start their relationship over as man and woman, not mentor and student. To show him that she had matured.

Matured, right. Instead she had proven how childish she still was when she had uttered that stupid ‘old and gross’ line. Then she had compounded that mistake by staying away. What she should have done was gone with her instincts and thrown that shirt-wearing hussy out of his apartment. Then she should have knocked him on his ass, ripped that robe off him, and done all those things she had been dreaming about since the Prom.

God, he had looked so sexy that night. There had been a look in his eyes, a look that said he was seeing her, not the Slayer, and that he liked what he was seeing. She had been sure he was going to ask her to dance, then his gaze had moved to something behind her. For just an instant his expression had been sad, then it was as if a mask had fallen over his face. He had taken that silly little umbrella out of her hands and turned her around to show her that Angel had arrived. 

Angel. Her first thought had been that Angel in a tuxedo had looked like a boy trying to play grown-up. Not like Giles, who looked like he had been born to wear a tux. Then the guilt had kicked in and she had gone a little overboard in her attention to Angel to make up for the fact that she had resented that he had shown up after all. By the end of the dance she had been sure that she had imagined the look on Giles' face. 

Until a few days later, when he had stuck the sword in the mayor. There had been no mistaking that look, pure Ripper. Ripper. Buffy felt a shiver run up her spine and she thought about the memories she seen in her Mother's mind. She could almost, almost, feel Giles kissing her, his hot tongue probing her mouth. Almost feel the weight of him pressing her down, the heat of him filling her. 

She had to be honest, at least with herself. That was when the dreams had really started. And that summer hadn't been to give him time, it had been to give her time. It had taken all summer, each night filled with dreams of Giles, before she had worked up her courage to go see him.

Only to find him with that woman. Buffy had wanted to scream and yell at him. How dare he have sex with another woman! He wasn't supposed to be having sex with anyone else because he belonged to her.

Belonged to her. If only. She knew he cared about her, but only as his Slayer, not as Buffy, not as a woman. Her eyes stung with unexpected tears. If wasn’t fair. Loving him as she did, this was going to be hell. A hell she had condemned herself to for two years. A lump rose in her throat and she closed her eyes, fighting the tears. For Giles to attain resident status through marriage to an American citizen, the marriage had to last at least two years. Willow had certainly enjoyed dropping that bomb on them after the ceremony.

Just what was her problem? Willow had hardly spoke to her yesterday, and when she did she was either angry or mocking. So she was upset that Giles was being forced to leave. They were all upset. Buffy gave a small huff, but it came out as a sob. One lone tear escaped, sliding down her cheek. A callused finger gently wiped it away.

"Buffy, please don’t cry. I’ll make this right, I promise."

 

Giles sat in his seat, eyes closed, hoping that everyone would think he was asleep and leave him alone. Yesterday should have been the happiest day of his life; he had married the woman he loved. But happy would have been the last word anyone would possibly use to describe yesterday.

Giles was filled with a helpless rage when he thought about the events of yesterday. Buffy had been cheated out of so much. The months of happy planning with her mother. No reception, no cake, no gifts. No beautiful white gown. They had married in the clothes they had worn to Vegas. The ceremony had been performed at the first chapel they found after buying the rings. 

His jaw clenched. The rings. Buffy wouldn't let him buy her an engagement ring, saying that it would be a hindrance when she was fighting. She wouldn't even let him buy her a scrolled band, saying that a plain gold band was fine with her. He moved his hand slightly, feeling the unaccustomed weight of the ring on his finger. Buffy had seemed surprised when he had bought matching bands. She said that her father had never worn a wedding band during his marriage to Joyce. Well, he wasn’t her bloody father; he didn't mind letting the single women of the world know that he was married.

Joyce. Giles had called her to enlist her aid in talking Buffy out of this, but had gotten an answering machine message saying that she was out of town on a buying trip. She would never understand. To anyone else, the idea that a 19-year-old could force a man in his forties to do something like this was absurd. No one who hadn’t lived his life could understand the training that had conditioned him to serve his Slayer. To do whatever it took to give her whatever she needed. Even though he had continued to argue, his fate was sealed from the moment she told him that she had felt incomplete when they were apart, that she needed him.

Needed him. As Buffy was fond of saying, 'as if'. Oh, he was sure that she did need him on some level, just not the way he wanted her to need him. He thought back to the look in her eyes at the end of the all too brief ceremony yesterday. When the minister said to kiss his bride, Buffy's eyes had widened and filled with a look of panic. Then her face had flushed red. Obviously she had forgotten about that part of a marriage ceremony. He had framed her face in his hands and brushed his lips against hers in the most chaste kiss he had ever given a woman. He had thought, for just an instant, that she started to respond, but her head had jerked back and she had looked quickly away.

He had to be honest with himself; that had hurt. But, really, what else could he expect. She had never thought of him as a potential lover. And while he was being honest, he couldn't blame his capitulation on his Watcher training. His heart belonged to her. Whatever she wanted, he would do. Even though that meant that the next two years would be the most exquisite form of torture.

Dear God, two years. Willow had kept that little bit of information from them until it was too late. Giles frowned. Willow was acting very strange. She was so angry with Buffy that she wasn't taking into consideration how her actions were affecting others. Tara was upset and Xander was confused.

Case in point was the honeymoon suite that she reserved for them last night. Willow had ignored what the room would cost him. She only had been interested in mocking Buffy with that parody of a wedding night. Buffy had been very upset and hadn't talked to him all evening. Later, she had lain stiffly on her side of that huge bed, awake and unmoving. Lying next to her, feeling the heat of her body, enveloped in her unique scent, he had fought to keep awake, afraid that if he slept he would say or do something that would betray his feelings for her.

Bloody hell, two years.

Next to him he heard a choked sob. He opened his eyes to see Buffy, eyes closed, her face a mask of pain. Even as he watched, one lone tear slid down her cheek. Without thought, he reached and gently wiped the tear away.

"Buffy, please don’t cry. I’ll make this right, I promise."

Buffy turned her head away, back towards the window, and drew several deep breaths, trying to regain control. His large hand cupped her face and turned it back. "Buffy?" Giles asked softly. She opened her eyes, not realizing that all her feelings were there for him to see. Giles drew in a sharp breath. His thumb caressed her cheek, his eyes full of questions. "Buffy?" he asked again, unconsciously leaning towards her.

Xander’s head popped up over the back of the seat. "It’s good to see you two talking. I don’t think the person from Immigration would believe newlyweds who didn’t speak to each other."

Giles jerked back, glaring at Xander. "Thank you so much for that advice. You've kept us from making a fatal mistake."

Xander quickly sat back down, looking at Anya wide-eyed. "Somebody got up on the wrong side of the honeymoon suite."

Anya nodded wisely. "Lack of orgasms. Makes men cranky." Their voices carried clearly to the couple sitting in front of them. Buffy moaned and turned back to the window, her face a bright red. Giles muttered Latin curse words as he settled back in his seat, facing forward. The remainder of the flight to Sunnydale was spent in silence.

 

The group disembarked from the plane and walked down the corridor to the main terminal. As they passed the restrooms, Giles lightly touched Buffy's arm. "Excuse me, I need to…" his voice trailed off and he gestured to the sign. Buffy nodded and propped herself against the wall to wait for him. The others, who had been ahead of the couple, continued on not having noticed the stop. She didn't call to them, wanting a few moments alone.

Buffy stared blankly into space, trying to come to terms with what had almost happened on the airplane. It had to have been her imagination. Giles hadn't been going to kiss her, had he? And that look in his eyes, so caring, so loving. No, it was her mind playing tricks on her. Giles would never look at her like that.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the last voice she expected to hear. "Buffy, you came to pick me up! How sweet. How did you know I was flying in early?" Buffy gazed in horror at her mother.

"Wait a minute, you can't be here to pick me up, they don't let anyone past the security barriers to pick people up anymore." Joyce spotted the overnight bag on the floor by Buffy's feet. "Are you going somewhere? No, this is Sunday, you have school tomorrow, you must be coming back." Her face broke into a smile. "And you are waiting outside the men's restroom. You must have gone with that young man you told me about, Riley was it, to meet his parents. I didn't realize it had become so serious. Well, I can't wait to meet him."

Buffy stared, stunned. Oh, god, Giles was going to come out any minute now. This is not how she wanted her mother to find out. She was going to go ballistic. Joyce was still babbling away, but Buffy wasn't really listening. She spotted an empty departure area and decided to take her mother there to talk. Buffy picked up her overnight bag and slung the strap over her left shoulder. 

Joyce cut off in mid word, her face shocked. Her hand reached out and grabbed Buffy's left hand. "What is this?"

Buffy looked back at her in panic. The gold band gleamed in the light. "Uh, Mom, it's not what it looks like." she started, but Joyce interrupted. 

"It looks like you got married."

Buffy gave her a weak smile. "Well, maybe it's sort of what it looks like."

Joyce stared angrily at her. "You got married without telling me! And to a boy I've never met! Buffy how could you do this? Couldn't you have waited until I got back?" The anger turned to horror. "Oh, no, you're pregnant. You had to get married."

"MOM! I'm not pregnant. Please, just calm down. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll explain. Why don't we go sit down." Buffy indicated the empty area. Joyce started to walk that way.

Giles emerged from the restroom, and not seeing Joyce, began, "Buffy, I'm sorry I kept you waiting." Two sets of eyes swung around to look at him, one filled with panic, the other with rage.

Before he could react, Joyce grabbed his left hand and examined the gold band on his finger. "You," she growled, "she married you." She flung his hand away as if it had burned her. Her gaze cut between the two until it settled on Buffy. "I want no part of this insanity. When you come to your senses and want the name of a good divorce lawyer, we'll talk." She turned and stalked down the corridor towards the baggage claim area.

"Mom, wait." Buffy started after her, but Giles stopped her.

"This isn't the place to go into this discussion. Let her go home and have a chance to collect her thoughts. We'll talk to her later."

Buffy shook her head in despair. "The more time she has, the madder she'll get. She won't listen to us later." Her eyes filled with tears.

Giles pulled her into a gentle embrace. "I will make her listen. Your mother deserves to know why we felt compelled to take this action. Due to the circumstances, I'm sure the person from Immigration will wish to speak with her. We need to know that she will back up our claims." He pulled back. "Let's get your things from the dorm and take them to my flat. We'll go talk to Joyce after that." Buffy nodded, eyes downcast. They turned and walked down the corridor.

 

Five hours later Joyce was storming around her kitchen, her mind still in a turmoil. The same thought kept going round and round, Buffy got married without telling her. Got married to THAT MAN. How could she? How could he? No doubt they would try to explain it away by saying it was some common Watcher/Slayer thing, but she could not accept this. 

A soft knock on the back door interrupted her musings. Opening the door, she saw them standing there. She slammed the door shut. Or rather she tried to slam the door shut. Buffy grabbed the edge of the door and prevented Joyce from closing it.

"Mom, we have to talk."

"I said all I intend to say at the airport. Please leave."

Buffy stared at her resolutely. "Mom, I need you to read this. It's important." She handed Joyce the letter from Immigration that Giles had received on Friday. Joyce took the letter. She read it through once, frowned, then read it through again. She looked at Giles.

"A green card marriage?"

Giles nodded.

"There wasn't another alternative?"

"Not in the time allotted."

"Getting married just to stay in the country is illegal. They might not just deport you, they might send you to prison if they don't believe this marriage is real."

"Then you need to help us make sure they think it is real." Buffy said. "Giles is my Watcher, I need him. I need him here, in Sunnydale with me, to help me stay alive. Will you help us?"

Joyce looked at the two of them for a long moment. "I assume you have a story already made up?" At their nod she sighed. "Come into the living room. We might as well be comfortable while you tell me what lies I'm going to be telling the government."

As Buffy and Giles went into the other room, Joyce closed and locked the back door. She leaned against it for a moment. I wonder, she thought, if I had been home Friday, would he have asked me? She shook her head at her foolishness and followed the pair into the living room.


	5. Start Spreading the News

Even though it was 9:00 p.m. Sunday evening, the lobby of the Hyperion hotel was busy. Cordelia was tending to Angel's injuries while Wes and Gunn were cleaning the weapons before replacing them in the storage cabinet. When the telephone rang there was a collective groan. Cordelia put down the gauze and crossed to the desk.

"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless," she snapped in a cross voice.

"Oh, yeah, that'll encourage someone." Gunn muttered to Wes.

Cordy put her hand over the mouthpiece and glared at Gunn. "I heard that." She returned her attention to the telephone. "Hi, Willow. Don't tell me; it's the end of the world, again, and Buffy needs Angel in Sunnydale."

She listened for a few minutes, and then an astonished look came over her face. "No way." She listened more. "No. Way. This is a joke, right?" A stubborn expression replaced the astonishment. "I don't believe you. Let me talk to Buffy."

The others crowded around the desk and Angel asked, "What's going on?"

Cordy waved him into silence and listened intently. "No way. Xander, this is just some twisted idea of a joke you two are trying to make me fall for. I don't believe it. Now let me talk to Buffy." She listened intently for a few more seconds, then slammed the phone down, picked it back up, and punched in a number.

"Cordelia, has something happened to Buffy?" Wes asked in concern. She just glared at him and listened to the phone ring.

"Giles, I just talked to Willow and she told me the most unbelievable….." her voice trailed off and the astonished look returned to her face. "No way," she whispered. After a few minutes she said, "Yeah, I'll tell everyone. Bye." She hung up the phone and stared blankly at the others.

When she just continued to stare in silence, Angel waved his hand in front of her face. "Cordy, what's wrong? What did Giles say?"

She looked at him in shock. "Buffy and Giles got married yesterday."

Like puppets whose strings had been cut, Angel and Wes both sat down abruptly. They looked at each other, and in unison said, "No way."

 

Back in Sunnydale Giles hung up his phone and looked over at Buffy. "How thoughtful of Willow to inform Cordelia for us."

"Yeah, thoughtful, that's our Willow." Buffy shrugged. "At least it solved the problem of how I was going to tell Angel. One down, one to go. I'd better call my Dad." She approached the phone in the manner of someone about to perform an unpleasant task. Taking a deep breath, Buffy punched in her father's number and listened to it ringing.

"Hello."

"Daddy, you're there. Why are you there?"

"Perhaps, because I live here. Buffy is there a problem?"

Buffy gazed wild-eyed at Giles. "Um, no problem as such. I just wanted to tell you something and I expected to get your answering machine. It's wigging me a little that you are really there."

"To be honest, I am on my way out the door. So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"No big, don't worry, just go ahead and go. I'll call back later and leave a message."

Hank gave an impatient huff. "Buffy, don't be ridiculous. I'm already on the phone, so just say what you wanted to say and get it over with." In the background Buffy could hear a female voice say, 'Hank, hurry up. The restaurant won't hold our reservation much longer.' 

"Sorry to be delaying your plans for the evening, but something happened yesterday that I thought you might want to know." She paused.

After a few seconds Hank prompted gruffly, "Well, what happened that you have to tell me about it right this minute?"

Buffy smiled grimly at the phone. "I thought it was pretty important, but now I'm not so sure you will. After all, when was the last time you bothered to call and ask me about anything in my life?"

"Just tell me what it is, dammit."

"I got married yesterday." Buffy pulled the phone away from her ear and Giles could hear the squawking sounds coming from it clear across the room. When the noise finally ceased, Buffy calmly said, "Goodbye, Daddy" and hung up the phone. 

She quickly picked the handset up again and punched in her mother's number. "Mom, I just talked to Daddy. Expect to get a call from him as soon as I hang up." She listened for a few seconds. "No, I don't see any reason to tell him the truth. Just go with the story we agreed on earlier." She listened some more, smiled gently and said, "Thanks, Mom. I'll talk to you tomorrow after the INS interview. Good night." She walked over and sat next to Giles on the sofa. "Anyone you need to tell?"

"The Council needs to be informed, of course, but it is only" he looked at his watch, "a little after 5 in the morning there. I'll call them later."

"Don’t they have answering machines?"

Giles looked startled for a moment. "I'm not sure, I've always called during their working hours."

"Well, personally, I'd rather leave Travers a message than talk to him. He'll probably react like Dad did."

"You have a point. I'll call now." He thought a moment, then punched in the long series of numbers for the overseas call. There was one brief ring on the other end then a voice said, "Royal Council of Watchers, Quentin Travers speaking."

Startled, Giles said nothing. An annoyed voice said, "Hello, is anyone there?"

"Quentin, I didn't expect you to be in the office at this hour."

"Rupert, if you didn't expect me to be here, why did you call?" A note of barely concealed eagerness could be heard. "Has something happened to the Slayer?"

"Buffy is fine. She simply had some information that she thought might be of interest to the Council. I am making this call merely as a courtesy." 

"Yes, yes, of course. What is it?"

"Buffy got married yesterday."

"What? Married? That's not allowed! Why didn't you stop it?"

"Must I remind you, I no longer work for you. I have not worked for you for over a year, and since I am no longer officially Buffy's Watcher, I have no say in what she does. Even if I had wanted to, I had no authority to stop her. And I didn't want to."

Next to him Buffy muttered, "That's not what you said yesterday." Giles glared at her.

"Well, I can put a stop to it. This must not be allowed to continue. Marriage will only be a distraction that will keep her from her duties. I'll put the Los Angeles branch on it. We'll get this marriage annulled. What is the name of the boy she married?"

"Quentin, are you out of your mind? Buffy is 19 years old. She is an American citizen. You have no legal authority over her. There is no way any judge would accept your petition to annul her marriage."

"I'll fly over and speak with the boy myself. Explain the facts of a Slayers life to him."

"Buffy's husband is well aware of the facts of a Slayers life. Nothing you can say will persuade him to leave her." 

"We'll see about that. What is the boy's name."

"He's not exactly a boy."

"His name."

"Rupert Giles."

"WHAT???" 

It was Giles' turn to pull the receiver away from his ear. When the sputtering sounds finally ceased, he spoke into the handset. "I will extend your good wishes to Buffy. Have a nice day, Quentin." He hung up the phone and turned to Buffy. "That was highly satisfying. Who else can we annoy?"

Buffy started laughing at the eager expression on Giles' face. He soon joined her. Every time one of them would come close to stopping they would look at the other and start up again. At one point Buffy wheezed, "Too bad Snyder is dead. Can you imagine what his reaction would have been?" They clutched each other, giggling wildly. Uncounted moments later Buffy realized that she was lying on top of Giles on the sofa. He was still chuckling as he reached up to wipe the tears of laughter from her face. They froze, staring at each other. 

Giles cupped her cheek, his thumb rubbing her chin, just under her bottom lip. "Buffy," he began. A loud pounding on the front door startled them apart. Giles went to answer it. "Can I help you?"

A tall, good looking, young man stood weaving on the porch. He stared belligerently at Giles. "Where is she?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Buffy. I know she's here. Where is she?" He lost his balance and had to clutch at the doorjamb to keep from falling down. 

Giles could smell the alcohol on the young man's breath, even from a few feet away. Buffy walked up beside him and said, "Riley?"

Riley looked at Buffy; his expression changing to one similar to a puppy that has been disciplined and doesn't know why. "She told me you were here, but I didn't believe it. Is it true?"

Even though she had a pretty good idea exactly who he was talking about, Buffy asked, "Who told you what?"

"Willow told me you weren't her roommate anymore, that you had moved in with him." The last word was growled as he glared back at Giles. 

Buffy sighed and dropped her head. "Willow told you that I moved in with Giles?"

Riley shrugged and almost lost his balance again. "Not exactly. What she said was that you had married him, but that can't be true."

Buffy's head came up and she glared at him. "Why not?"

"Because, well, look at him, he's old!"

"Giles is not old!" Buffy didn't notice Giles look at her in amazement. "He's older than me, yeah, but he's not old. And besides, it's none of your business."

"It is too my business." Riley pouted. "You’re my girlfriend. I love you and you love me. You can't marry someone else."

Buffy stared at him in shock. "Riley, I'm not your girlfriend." As both men looked at her in surprise she continued, "Well, yeah I'm your friend, and I'm a girl, but we've just been dating. You hadn't even asked me to go steady or anything, and you certainly hadn't told me you love me." She glanced at Giles in embarrassment. "All we've ever done is kiss, and was just on our last two dates." 

"Well I do, love you that is, and you love me too you just don't realize it yet. As for the kissing, I was showing you that I respected you. I was waiting for a sign that you were ready for more." He leaned in closer, almost knocking Buffy over with his breath. " I know about that jerk, Parker," he whispered. Riley reared back and glared at Giles again. "Besides, what the hell kind of name is Giles? Some stuck up British name? How can you want to spend the rest of your life as Mrs. Giles whatever his last name is?"

Buffy looked at him with pity. "I'm sorry, Riley. You're really sweet, and we had a lot of fun together, but I don't love you. I love Giles; I have for a long time. And we are married. We got married in Las Vegas yesterday."

When Giles heard Buffy say that she loved him, his heart skipped a beat, then he realized that she was just following the story that they were planning to tell the INS. He frowned, what had Riley meant when he said, 'that jerk, Parker'? Buffy had started speaking again, so he turned his attention back to her.

"Giles is his last name. He doesn't like his first name, and when he went to Oxford the instructors there called him by his last name, so it kind of stuck. I'm very happy at the thought that I'll be spending the rest of my life as Mrs. Rupert Giles."

Riley looked from her to Giles and back again in bewilderment. "But, he's old."

Buffy shook her head. "No, Riley, older, not old. Love, real love, doesn’t look at the body; it looks at the soul. He is the other half of me." She stepped forward and touched his cheek gently. "I'm sorry." 

For just a minute Riley looked like he was going to accept what she had said and leave. Then he straightened up and looked belligerent again. He pushed his way between them into the apartment. "No, I don't believe it. We had a date Friday night, and you were supposed to meet me again on Saturday. How could you be dating me when you say you were in love with someone else?" He folded his arms and swayed back and forth in front of them. "Explain that, go on, I want to hear it."

Buffy and Giles exchanged glances. "This might take some time. Perhaps you should sit down and I'll make some tea." Giles headed for the kitchen.

Buffy threw Riley an exasperated look, said, "I'll help you" and headed for the kitchen. Riley stumbled over to the sofa and plopped down on it.

Buffy moved close to Giles and whispered. "Now what?"

"We tell him the story we are going to tell the person from the INS," he whispered back.

"What if he doesn't buy it?"

"We have to make him believe it. If the INS questions people on campus about you, they will find out that you have been dating him. He must be made to believe that you were only dating him because you thought you couldn't be with me."

Buffy's back was to the pass though. "What's he doing?"

"He's watching us."

"Kiss me."

"What?"

"We're supposed to be newlyweds. Kiss me." When he hesitated she reminded him, "Giles, people are going to expect PDA's from newlyweds."

He frowned slightly. "PDA's?"

"Public displays of affection. Smoochies."

"Is there some rule that says I must be the one to initiated these, uh, smoochies?" Giles grinned at her. "Why don't you kiss me?"

"Is that a dare, Watcher-mine?"

"If you choose to take it as such."

Buffy grinned back at him. "You are so going down." She hooked a hand behind his head and pulled him toward her. Just before their lips touched, Giles murmured in a voice so low that she wouldn't have heard it except for Slayer hearing, "If only." She had an instant to be startled, and then she was lost in the wonder of his kiss.

The back of her head fit perfectly in the palm of his hand, his fingers spearing thorough her hair as he moved her slightly to get a better angle. His lips urged hers apart and his tongue slid wetly into her mouth. Oh, wow! He was a way good kisser. This was much better than her Moms' memories, and those had been pretty hot.

His other arm pulled her snug against him as he took a couple of steps to the right and lifted her slightly, sitting her on the counter. She automatically opened her legs and he pressed forward against her. Buffy became aware of a shrill whistle and an annoyed voice on the edge of her consciousness. She jerked back from Giles, startled at how quickly she had lost control. He looked just as startled and backed away from her. He cleared this throat. "I’d best get the kettle."

Buffy realized that the shrill whistle was the teakettle that Giles had just put on the burner. The water was boiling already? How long had they been kissing? She turned to see Riley in the kitchen doorway. "You don’t have to make out with the old guy while I’m here, " he remarked sourly. "Can’t you wait until I’m gone?"

If looks could kill, Riley would have died right then. "Giles. Is. Not. Old. Get over yourself. And its not considered making out when you’re married. Go back to the living room, we’ll bring the tea out in a minute." She hopped down from the counter and crossed the room to where Giles was fiddling with the tea tray.

Giles turned away to tend to the teakettle, drawing a deep breath and blinking rapidly. Dear lord. He couldn’t believe that he had lost control so quickly. He had almost taken her right there, in the kitchen, with that young man in the next room. He drew another deep breath. He had frightened her. That look on her face when he had pulled away, it had been the same panic stricken expression he had seen on her face at the wedding.

His hands moved automatically and prepared the tea. He could hear Buffy talking behind him, but the words didn’t come through his inner monologue. He had to assure her that it had been a mistake, a mistake that wouldn’t be repeated. He couldn’t stand the thought that she was afraid of him. A hand gently caressed his back, and he jumped, startled. He turned around and saw Buffy standing there, smiling nervously.

He rushed into speech. "The tea’s ready. Let’s go into the other room."

A puzzled look crossed her face. "Giles?"

"We’ll discuss it after he’s gone. Right now we need to convince him that the situation is genuine." Giles picked up the tray and gestured with it for her to precede him from the kitchen. 

 

Two hours later, a much more sober, but still upset, Riley left to go back to his dorm. After a brief argument in the kitchen, Giles drove him. Buffy had wanted to walk him back, but Giles had pointed out that since they had just spent the last two hours telling him that Buffy didn't love him, if she went with him it would be sending the wrong signal.

Giles spent the drive time trying to figure out how he was going to approach what had nearly happened in the kitchen. He knew how he really wanted to approach her. He wanted to pick her up, carry her up to the bed and finish what they had started. After all, they were married. He had the certificate and the ring to prove it. All those thoughts that kept flashing through his mind were perfectly legal. Well, for the most part. He had never needed to know the laws pertaining to consensual sex in America, so a couple of them might be questionable. 

He sat in the car in the parking lot, staring up at the lighted windows of the flat, trying to gain control of his rebellious libido. Two years; what a joke. He hadn't been able to keep his hands off her for 48 hours. The memory swept over him again. Her scent, her taste, the feel of her body pressed against his. 

The panicked look on her face when she pulled away. 

He banged his head against the steering wheel. Bloody hell, two years. 

Heaving a deep sigh, he got out of the car and walked up the steps to the flat. When he opened the door the sight of a tear-stained Buffy sitting opposite Willow on the sofa met him. He slammed the door shut and stalked across the room. "Willow, what have you done to upset Buffy now?" He stopped abruptly when Willow turned her head and he saw that she was crying as well.

"No, Giles, it's a good. Will and I have been clearing some things up. We're cool again." Buffy smiled at him and wiped the tears away. She leaned forward and picked up some paper that were lying on the coffee table. "Willow did a major hack job and brought some things for us to study. These are samples of things that the INS person might be asking us about."

Giles took the pages and began to leaf through them. He looked at Willow in concern. "As much as Buffy and I appreciate this, I do hope you won't get in trouble. This is the government; there would be very stiff penalties if they caught you."

Willow made a brushing away gesture with one hand. "Don't worry, it was no big." Willow looked at him uncertainly. "Giles, there is something I'd like to talk to you about. In a few days, you know, after all this is over."

"Willow, I very much fear that this will take more than just a few days. Is this something that we can handle tonight?"

"I don't think so." She looked away for a moment, then back at Giles. "These last couple of days, I feel like something was in me, controlling me, making me do some of those things. I was talking to Tara about it earlier, and she said she could sense a dark power around me. It scares her." Willow's eyes again filled with tears. "It scares me too."

Giles stared at her in that focused, unfocused, way that Willow knew meant that he was looking at her aura. He frowned, blinked, and re-focused on her face. "There is something distorting the colors of your aura, but just around the fringes, not next to you. It's possible the anger you were feeling allowed it to temporarily penetrate to you, but now that you and Buffy have made peace, it has been forced back out. I don't believe that you are currently in any danger."

"But I could be?"

"Anything to do with magic can be dangerous. Meditate and try to remain as calm as possible until we have the time to research this." Giles crossed to where Willow was setting and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I truly believe that you are not in immediate danger. It's even possible that meditation alone will take care of the problem."

Giles took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I would feel better if we knew how long this business with the INS was going to take." He replaced his glasses, and sighed. "If you feel at any time that you are being controlled again, come to me at once. Otherwise, you and Tara come over after classes on Friday and we'll look into it then."

Willow stood up and gave Giles a hug. "Thanks. And speaking of class, I have one at 8 in the morning. I'd better get back to the dorm and try to get some sleep."

Giles seemed to just realize how late it was. He frowned. "Willow, you didn't walk over here alone, did you?"

She shook her head. "I took a cab."

"Well there's no need for the expense. I'll drive you to the dorm."

Buffy shook her head. "I think it's my turn. I'll walk Will home and do a quick patrol." The girls walked to the door. Buffy turned and said, "You could take the time to see how many of those questions you can answer. We'll go over them when I get back." She paused then walked quickly back over to where Giles was standing. She reached up and gave him a quick kiss. "Need to practice those PDA's." Buffy and Willow left, giggling.

Giles stood staring at the closed door for a long time, then pulled himself together, sat down, and started studying the papers Willow had brought.


	6. Let's Face the Music and Dance

Helen Cavanaugh, investigator for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, drove past the sign that read Welcome to Sunnydale. She had worked for the INS for 15 years, so this was not her first assignment, but something about this case didn't feel right. She wished, not for the first time, that she had studied the file on Rupert Giles before she mailed the letter. So many things didn't add up.

First being that he wasn't 'Mr.' Giles, he was Dr. Giles. The man had a Ph.D. in Egyptology from Oxford. He had worked for 10 years as a curator at the British Museum, and had been named head of the Egyptology department a scant five months before he quit. She had spent quite a bit on time on the telephone speaking with his former boss. Dr. Reynolds had been a well spring of information; all of it even more puzzling.

Rupert Giles had been a model employee; never late, took very few personal days, willing to fill-in in other departments during vacations. He was the man the museum used for special fund-raisers because he could make the dullest subjects come alive for everyone. He was a natural teacher, and worked especially well with younger people. He had seemed very happy in his position.

Then, out of the blue, he had gone to Dr. Reynolds and had given his notice. Effective immediately. He had told Dr. Reynolds that he had been given an opportunity to do research for a book. This in itself wasn't that unusual, most of the museum's employee's had written books. What had been unusual was the book's subject matter. Not Egyptology, the field in which he was an expert, but Native American cultures of the desert Southwest.

Dr. Reynolds had said that he had tried to talk Rupert into taking a sabbatical, rather than quitting, so he wouldn't lose his job at the museum. He had also offered the museum's sponsorship for his visa and green card, but Rupert said that those had already been arraigned through the private corporation that was funding his research. He also turned down the offer of the sabbatical, saying that he didn't know how long the research would take and he didn't want to leave the museum short handed.

Dr. Reynolds said that he had reluctantly accepted Rupert's resignation. He had accompanied him back to his office and watched as he cleared his personal belongings out of his desk. The two men had shook hands at the employee's entrance and that was the last he had seen or heard of Rupert Giles. That had been four years ago.

The next telephone call she had made was to RCOW Ltd., the private research firm that had sponsored Dr. Giles. She had wanted to know why they had withdrawn their sponsorship, since there had been no reason given in the information she had received. The man she had spoken to, a Mr. Travers, had refused to give any details, saying only that Dr. Giles had broken the terms of their contract. Then this morning, just before she left the office, Mr. Travers had called her.

His voice had been filled with anger, and he had demanded to know when Dr. Giles was being deported. He had ranted about the inefficiency of the American government in allowing a man to remain in their country for 14 months after his sponsorship had been removed. When she had asked why he was so passionate about it now, when he had seemed so indifferent last Thursday, he had become almost incoherent. After he had calmed down, somewhat, he had ended the conversation with another demand. He wanted her to call him, personally, as soon as Dr. Giles' deportation date had been finalized. He had given her his home number, saying he wanted her to call him there, not at the office.

Helen gave a little huff. She was not a betting woman, but right now she would be willing to bet that the withdrawal of Dr. Giles' sponsorship had been the result of some personal business between the two men. From the two very different conversations they had had Mr. Travers had struck her as the kind of man who would not hesitate to use the power of the company he worked for to further his own agenda. But, why hadn't he pushed to have Dr. Giles deported 14 months ago, and what had happened since last Thursday to make him so angry?

Fourteen months without sponsorship and ten months since the school had blown up leaving him without a job. What was keeping him in America? More specifically, what was keeping him in Sunnydale? Was there something about the research for his book that could only be done here? When she had first learned that he hadn't had a job for so long, she suspected that he was working somewhere and being paid under the counter. Then she had received his financial records. Dr. Giles was a wealthy man. 

He had paid the rent on his apartment a year in advance. He had bought a car, true a used one, but it hadn't been cheap, and had paid for it with cash. All of his bills were paid on time, and his credit cards were paid in full each month. There were two things that stood out. Two years ago he seemed to have spent the school's summer vacation traveling. No noticeable pattern to the trips, but all of them had appeared to be last minute since no prior reservations had been made. And all of the trips had been paid for with cash. In fact, the DEA had watched him quite closely in the beginning, and then they had lost interest when it became clear that he wasn't carrying drugs.

Other than prescription drugs, that is. He had apparently been robbed, and injured quite severely just prior to the first of the trips. She hadn't been able to get a copy of his medical records, but a clerk at the hospital had been most helpful. Dr. Giles appeared to be accident-prone. The clerk said that until ten months ago, he had been a regular visitor, his usual injury a concussion. 

Ten months ago. When the high school blew up. The evidence would seem to indicate that someone at the school had been abusing Dr. Giles and for some reason he had been afraid to report it. But that didn't make sense, and it didn't fit in with all the other information she had on the man. 

Helen gave a quick look at her directions. Yes, that was the apartment complex, there on the right. She pulled into the parking lot and turned off the car. She picked up the file folder from the seat beside her. Rupert Giles, 41 years old, brown hair, green eyes. The picture appeared to have been taken when he worked in the school library. Brown tweed suit jacket, matching vest, brown tie, white shirt, dark rimed glasses. Cute, in an ‘absent minded professor’ way. The pose, the clothes, everything about the picture tried to say 'school teacher'. So why did she get the message, 'this man is dangerous'? 

Enough speculation, it was time to meet the man himself. Helen exited the car and walked up the steps to the apartment. She paused a moment, looking around the tiny courtyard. This was a very nice place; it seemed to have a feeling of peace and security. And she was stalling. She really wasn't looking forward to this interview. 

Helen gathered her resolve and knocked on the door. After a few minutes it was answered by a young girl with red hair, green eyes, and the strangest combination of clothes Helen had ever seen anyone wear. The girl said, "Can I help you?"

"I was looking for Rupert Giles. Does he live here?"

"Oh, sure, this is his place, he’s just not here right now. Are you the person from Immigration?" When Helen nodded, the girl turned and called, "Buffy, it’s the lady from Immigration."

Another young girl, this one a blonde, walked over to the door. "Don’t make her stand out there." She waved Helen forward. "Come on in. Rupert went to the store and he should be home any time. I’m Buffy, this is my friend Willow and that is my friend Xander. Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you. My name is Helen Cavanaugh, and I’m from the Los Angeles office of the INS. If you don't mind my asking, what is your connection to Dr. Giles?"

The blonde smiled. "As I said, my name is Buffy, and I'm Rupert's wife."

 

Buffy sat listening to Willow and Xander arguing amicably. It was nice to see her friends getting along again, especially after the last couple of days, but part of her wished they would leave so she could take a nap. Last night she and Giles had again lay awake next to each other. She had dozed off a couple of time, and she was pretty sure he had too, but neither of them had slept any length of time. Any movement on his part had her wide awake. He had tried to sleep on the couch, but she had overruled him.

***********

"Giles, were you planning to sleep on the couch for the next two years? We have to get used to it so we might as well start tonight."

Giles had looked uncomfortable. "I had thought we could move to a two bedroom apartment. That way we would each have our own room. I can sleep on the sofa until then."

"Giles, if we move to a two bedroom apartment we might as well put a big neon sign on the door saying ‘not real marriage’. They would kick you out of the country for sure. We’re both adults. We can share a bed to sleep. It’s no big."

Giles looked away, his face reddening. "I have been told by previous partners that I tend to," he paused, took a deep breath and continued, "hold onto anyone who is in the bed with me. I don’t want you to be nervous or uncomfortable. I would never intentionally force you to do anything, but I can’t control what I do in my sleep."

"You mean you’re a cuddle bunny? No prob. It’ll be like having a giant Mr. Gordo." When Giles had looked at her incredulously, she smiled. "Giles, I know you. You would never do anything to hurt me. It will be a little awkward at first, but it’ll be okay. You’ll see."

**************

If last night were anything to go by, it would take quite a while before things were okay. She just hoped that they got comfortable with each other before she started suffering from sleep depravation. A sleepy Slayer made mistakes, and mistakes could get a Slayer killed.

They had given up on trying to sleep shortly after sunrise. Buffy frowned. Now that she thought of it, why hadn’t either one of them stayed in bed and napped after the other got up? Fuzzy thinking, the first sign of lack of sleep. In any event, it wouldn’t have been possible to sleep this morning anyway. They had been downstairs only long enough to put the kettle on for tea when Xander and Willow had come bursting through the door.

Willow said that she had declared it an original Scooby day, just the four of them. She had made sure that Tara wasn’t upset at not being included, and when assured by Tara that she understood, Willow had gone to pick up Xander. Anya had fussed a bit, but Xander had promised her a special evening if she would stay home today. Buffy didn’t want to know what a special evening entailed, she was just happy that Anya wasn’t there to upset Giles by making comments about orgasms.

Giles had fixed tea and toast for the two of them, then stated that if Xander was going to be spending the day he needed to go the grocery store. Buffy looked at the clock. He had been gone almost two hours, so he would probably be back any time now. Not enough time for a nap anyway, even if Willow and Xander did leave. Not that they showed any signs of leaving.

Buffy glanced around the apartment. They had been busy and now all of Giles’ books had been replaced on the shelves. Mixed in among them were things of hers. She smiled. It looked right, like they belonged together. She became aware that Willow was standing in front of her, grinning. "What?"

"So, did you carpe Giles last night?"

Xander groaned. "Please, no details, not in front of me. Wait until I’ve gone."

Buff blushed. "No, I didn’t carpe Giles last night. Come on, Will, this is Giles we’re talking about. Stuffy British guy. He needs to get comfortable with the fact that I’ve invaded his space."

Willow laughed. "I think you are the one who needs to get comfortable. I saw his face at the wedding chapel. He was ready to jump you right there."

Buffy stared at her, open-mouthed. Willow turned to Xander. "Xand, help me out here. Giles is hot for her, right?"

Xander shrugged. "I can’t say about the chapel, but when you were laying on the sofa Saturday, he looked like he wanted to be on there with you. Then yesterday on the plane, if I hadn’t opened my mouth he would have kissed you."

"Then, why hasn't he tried anything when we're alone? After all, we're married. It would be legal."

"Maybe he thinks you don't want him. Does 'old and gross' ring any bells?"

Buffy moaned and hid her face in her hands. "That was just my inner bitca talking cause that woman was coming down the stairs in just his shirt, smiling."

Willow grinned. "I bet, after we go home, if you were to come downstairs wearing just his shirt you'd find out what she was smiling about." Xander looked a little sick, but nodded his agreement.

Buffy smiled, "Ya think?" She unconsciously raised her hand to her mouth, remembering the kiss in the kitchen last night. She also remembered his ‘if only’ when she had said he was going down. Oh, my. That brought a whole new image to mind, especially when she knew just how good he was with that tongue. "Uh, guys, whatever you do, don’t come over early tomorrow. In fact, don’t come over at all for the next couple of weeks unless we call." She giggled, feeling giddy with anticipation. "I’m going to carpe Giles." Willow and Xander glanced at each other and started laughing.

There was a knock on the door. Willow being the nearest, answered it. On the doorstep was a short, slightly plump woman, with nut-brown hair. Willow said, "Can I help you?"

The woman looked a little startled. "I was looking for Rupert Giles. Does he live here?"

"Oh, sure, this is his place, he’s just not here right now. Are you the person from Immigration?" When the lady nodded, Willow turned and called, "Buffy, it’s the lady from Immigration."

Buffy walked over to the door. "Don’t make her stand out there." Buffy waved the woman forward. "Come on in. Rupert went to the store and he should be home any time. I’m Buffy, this is my friend Willow and that is my friend Xander. Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you. My name is Helen Cavanaugh, and I’m from the Los Angeles office of the INS. If you don't mind my asking, what is your connection to Dr. Giles?"

Buffy smiled at the woman. "As I said, my name is Buffy, and I am Rupert’s wife."

 

Out in the parking lot, Giles sat in the car gathering up the nerve to enter the apartment. He had seen Willow open the door for the woman just as he was pulling in the drive. Why now, why couldn't she have come later this afternoon. Maybe he would have had a chance to sneak off somewhere and take a nap. It had been three days since he had any sleep to speak of, and he was feeling groggy. 

He tried to remind himself that he used to work long hours with little sleep doing research for Buffy. This was different. Her life wasn't hanging in the balance, so he wasn't getting the surge of adrenaline he needed to keep going. Although, if you wanted to look at it in that way, this situation was endangering her. She said she needed him to feel complete. If they made him leave, she could lose her concentration, and that would be dangerous. Buffy in danger. That was all he needed. He could feel the familiar rush energizing him. 

Time to face the music. 

He opened the boot of the car and retrieved two of the sacks of groceries. He would send Xander and Willow down for the rest. Taking two at a time he hurried up the steps, crossed the patio and went through his front door just in time to hear Buffy say, "It's all due to you that we got married. When I read your letter it scared me so much that I confessed my feelings to Rupert, and he admitted that he felt the same. An hour later we were on our way to Vegas."

"There was a little more to it than that" he remarked, mildly.

"Rupert," Buffy exclaimed, her face lighting up. She rushed across the room towards him, but he took a step back.

"Careful, there are eggs in this bag." Buffy frowned at him, but he only grinned. "You know I prefer my eggs poached, not scrambled." He turned to the others. "Willow, Xander, if you would be so kind as to fetch the rest of the groceries?" They nodded and left while he continued on into the kitchen. As he began putting things away, he called through the window, "Buffy, have you offered our visitor anything to drink?"

Buffy blushed, "No, I forgot." She looked at Helen. "Would you like something to drink? We have bottled water, iced tea, or lemonade. The tea is herbal, no caffeine." 

"Lemonade will be fine, thank you." Helen watched as he filled a glass with ice and added the lemonade. Just as he exited the kitchen, the others returned with more bags of groceries.

"This is all, G-man." Xander said.

"Thank you, you know where everything goes. And please"

"Don’t call me G-man." The three chorused. Giles smiled, shook his head, and carried the lemonade over to where Helen was sitting. He handed her the glass. "I’m Rupert Giles, and I assume that Buffy introduced the others?"

Helen automatically took the glass while her brain went on hold. This was the man in that picture? Oh, my. The geeky teacher was gone. Definitely gone. His hair was a little longer and ruffled as though he had been in a high wind. Dark green polo shirt and faded, snug, black jeans. Stylish wire rim glasses, and oh, my god, an earring. Most of the men she knew didn’t look that good at 31, let alone 41. 

She frowned. 41. She glanced back at Buffy. And he was married to that child? She felt a surge of disappointment. Marrying someone to stay in the country meant instant jail time followed by deportation. She couldn’t believe that someone so smart would have done something so stupid. 

"Dr. Giles, you do realize that marrying so soon after receiving my letter can be considered a suspicious act? I will need to investigate this supposed marriage very closely."

Before Giles could respond, Buffy interrupted angrily, "What do you mean supposed? We got married. I can show you the license." 

"Buffy, calm down, we discussed this on Saturday. It was the primary reason why I wanted to wait until after this interview."

Still frowning, Helen looked back at Giles. "If you wanted to wait, why did you go ahead with the marriage?"

Giles ducked his head and ran his hand through his hair. Looking up, he met her eyes, sheepishly. To her amazement she could see a faint blush cover his cheeks. "She was crying." There was a puzzled look on Helen's face, so he continued, "Seeing her in tears was like being stabbed in the heart. I would do anything she wanted to stop them." He gave a little shrug and looked back down at the floor.

"Wow, really? Anything?" Buffy gave a wicked grin. "You are so going to regret saying that in front of me."

"Oh, dear lord," Giles moaned softly.

"Dr. Giles" Helen began.

"Please, just Giles. I don't use the doctor here. Everyone calls me Giles."

"Giles, I will need to speak to the two of you, separately. Is there another room we can go to?"

Giles shook his head. "The bedroom is in the loft, and as you can see there is no wall between the two rooms." He gestured. "The kitchen has the pass through. The only room that is separate is the bathroom, and I don't think you want to interview us in there."

Helen gave a little huff of laughter. "Nooo, I don't think so." She thought for a moment. "What about using the patio? There is a table and chairs there and it's a beautiful day. We could talk out there and Buffy could stay in here with her friends."

Giles nodded. "That sounds like a good solution. I'll bring a pitcher of water." He went into the kitchen. Buffy followed.

"What are you going to tell her?" she whispered.

"I'll tell her what we discussed with your mother." He cupped her cheek with his hand. "This will work, Buffy. Regardless, whatever happens, I won't leave you, I promise."

She briefly nuzzled her face against his hand, then grinned up at him. "Still need to practice those PDA's."

He returned her grin and said, "Is this better?" Before she could react he slid his hand behind her head and pulled her forward. Mouths met and opened, merging hotly. Two sets of arms reached and pulled the other closer. Later, much later, Giles heard Xander's voice.

"Um, guys? Guys? GUYS?? Other people here." 

Giles pulled back and looked toward the voice, seeing Xander's embarrassed face, with Willow's grinning one right behind. He looked back to Buffy and saw her blinking at him, her eyes glazed. 

After a moment she cleared her throat, grinned, and said, "You keep putting me on the counter."

He looked down. Sure enough, she was again sitting on the counter and he was again between her legs, pressing against her center. "Just leveling the playing field, so to speak." He flushed and stepped back. "Buffy" he began.

Buffy put her fingers over his mouth. "Later, husband mine. Go talk to the nice lady from the INS."

Giles caught her fingers as she pulled away, brought her hand back to his mouth, and pressed a kiss to her palm. "Later." Giles quickly filled a pitcher with ice and water, got two glasses from the cupboard and returned to the living room. The lady from the INS, he suddenly realized that he didn't know her name, was watching him with a strange look in her eyes.

For the first time, Giles was afraid. Afraid that he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to Buffy. He gestured towards the door with the pitcher. "After you."


	7. Interview with the INS - Giles

Helen sat down, placed her briefcase on the table and opened it, removing a folder and a pad of paper. She looked at Giles as he sat across from her. "Dr. Giles"

"Please, just Giles" he interrupted her again. "Truly, I am most comfortable with Giles." He smiled at her. "And it just occurred to me that I don’t know your name."

"I do apologize, it's just that we are accustomed to dealing with people in a formal manner. It helps to maintain a professional distance in case of unpleasantness. My name is Helen Cavanaugh, and I have worked for the Los Angeles branch of the INS for the past 15 years."

"Well, I won't say that it is a pleasure to meet you, because of the circumstances, but I do hope our dealings won't end with any unpleasantness."

Helen glanced down, took a deep breath and came to a decision. "Giles, before we begin, I want to tell you something, and I am not telling you this to make you feel bad, but I do think you should know." She looked in his eyes. "It is within the power of the investigator, if circumstances warrant, to offer people non-sponsor-related green cards. This is not common knowledge, and it doesn't happen very often because the requirements are quite stringent. I have studied your file, and ran some background checks. You are not taking a job away from an American citizen. You have not been in trouble with the police. Due to your personal wealth, you would cause no drain on the social service system of this country. Before I found out about your marriage, I was going to offer you a non-sponsor-related green card, but that marriage gives me no choice. I have to investigate this as an attempt to keep you in the country by false pretenses. If I determine that this is not a valid marriage you will be deported, at the very least. I'm sorry."

Giles looked away, his face grim. "Bloody hell." He glanced towards the apartment window and saw Buffy looking out. She looked distressed and he knew it was because of his expression. He smiled at her reassuringly. She gave a little nod, smiled back, and moved away from the window.

"There are two parts to this interview. First I will ask a series of questions. I need you to give me an answer with as little thought as possible, rather in the manner of a word association. I will need two answers, one for you, and one for Buffy. For example I could ask what is your fathers' name, and I want you to tell me the names of your father and Buffy's father. Is that clear?

Giles had been expecting this part of the interview. A list of the most commonly asked questions had been among the information that Willow had given them last night. He nodded.

"The second part of the interview will be you telling me about your life here in Sunnydale, how you met Buffy and what led to your marriage. When we have finished, I will ask Buffy the same questions and get her side of the story. Depending on how long all of this takes, I may interview the others today, if they are willing. Are you ready to start?"

Giles nodded again.

"First question. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

Giles smiled. "I wanted to be a fighter pilot. Buffy wanted to be an Olympic ice skater."

"What was your childhood nickname?"

Without thinking Giles said, "RB was my childhood nickname and Buffy didn't have one." After he finished speaking he realized that wasn't one of the questions they had studied. Buffy wouldn't know the answer to that one. Oh, well, it was just one of the questions.

"What brand of after-shave do you use and what brand of body lotion does Buffy use?"

Now Giles was worried. That question hadn't been on the list either. "Since coming to America I have used Old Spice. I can't buy my favorite brand here; it's just sold in England. I don't know the brand name of her body lotion, just that it has a tropical scent, primarily coconut." He grinned. "When it mixes with her natural body scent I find it quite arousing."

Helen blushed, but hoped it could be attributed to the sun. She kept her eyes firmly on the paper in front of her. "What brand of toothpaste do you use?"

"We both use Crest." At least he hoped so. He couldn't remember seeing another brand on the bathroom sink this morning.

"What brand of breakfast cereal do you eat?"

"I eat Weetabix. It's an English cereal that I buy through a mail order service. Buffy doesn't eat cereal. She seldom eats breakfast at all, and when she does it's usually just tea and toast." Again, that hadn't been on the list they had studied, but he felt confident of his answers. This would be all right.

"What type of tea do you drink?"

"Do you mean commercial brand or flavor?"

"Flavor."

"I prefer Darjeeling. Buffy prefers Orange Spice."

"What was your favorite toy?"

"I had a toy sword that I called Sting, after Bilbo's sword in the book The Hobbit. Buffy has a stuffed pig she named Mr. Gordo."

"What is your favorite book?"

"My favorite book is Frankenstein. Buffy's favorite is Pride and Prejudice." Lord, I hope so, he thought. That was the only book he could ever remember her talking about.

"What is your favorite food?"

"My favorite is peas, Buffy's is ice cream."

"What is your favorite television show?"

It was Giles' turn to blush. "I have become quite attached to a daytime program. Its called Passions. Buffy's favorite is X-Files." Again, it was the only one he could remember her talking about. This was not looking good; she wasn't asking a single question that had been on Willow's list.

"What type of underwear do you wear?"

"I beg your pardon?" Giles asked, astonished.

"It is a legitimate question. A married couple should know the type of underwear their partner wears. Now, boxers or briefs?"

Giles face became even redder. "Buffy wears bikini underwear and I," he hesitated then managed to finish, "I, I, I believe it's called going commando." He looked away.

Helen couldn't help the visual that popped into her head. She blushed as well. "Sorry. It was one of the questions I've been told to ask. There aren’t many more. What is your favorite movie?"

Giles took a drink of water to ease his throat. "Mine is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Buffy's is Thelma and Louise."

"Who is you favorite singer or group?"

"Mine is Eric Clapton and Buffy's used to be a local group called the Dingoes, but they left town a few months ago. I haven't heard her mention a preference since they left."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Mine is gray and Buffy's is blue."

"Who was the first person you fell in love with?"

Giles panicked for a moment. There was no way Buffy could know that question, but there was a name that she might remember and say, so he would go with that. "My first was a girl named Deirdre, and Buffy's was a boy called Angel."

"Angel?"

"That's what he said his name was." Giles gave a shrug. "Parents do make strange choices, after all her name is Buffy."

"I thought that was a nickname."

"No, her name really is Buffy."

"Who was your last lover?"

Giles looked affronted. "These are bloody personal questions."

"That is the point. You should know these things about the person you marry."

"Very well, mine was Olivia, and Buffy's was Angel."

"What is the thing you love most about the person you married?"

"Her courage. Buffy has had to endure things you can't possibly imagine." 

Helen looked up sharply when Giles said this, and caught her breath at the pain in his eyes. "What?" she began but he stopped her.

"It's not my place to tell you, if you want to know, ask Buffy. It's up to her if she wants you to know. As for what she loves most about me, I think it's my mind."

Helen looked at him for a long moment, then back down at her papers. "Who taught you to drive?"

Giles frowned. Really, these questions were very strange. How many people know who taught their spouse how to drive? "My father taught me, and Buffy took lessons at school."

"What is your favorite piece of jewelry?"

"For me, my wedding band" Giles said with a smile. "For Buffy, an antique cross that Angel gave her."

Helen looked up, curious. "It doesn't bother you that her favorite piece of jewelry was given to her by another man?"

"No. He will always have a place in her heart, but Angel is her past."

Helen shook her head. Not many men would be so calm about that subject. She smiled. "Last question, and this one has no right or wrong answer. It's purely subjective. If you were animals, what kind of animal do you see Buffy as, and what animal does you think she sees you as?"

"To me, Buffy is a lioness. Strong and graceful, a being of power and beauty. To Buffy, I'm a rabbit."

Helen laughed. "What makes you think she would see you as a rabbit?"

Giles blushed. "Last night she called me a cuddle bunny."

Helen had this mental image of Giles in a giant gray bunny suit with floppy ears, and started laughing so hard she almost fell off the chair. Giles joined in. Several minutes later, clutching at her aching sides, Helen managed to stop laughing. "Okay, that concludes the first part of the interview. Now, on to your life here in Sunnydale and all about how you met Buffy."

"If you don't mind my asking, and this is just for my personal curiosity not part of the official interview, why the job as the school librarian? You had the grant from RCOW Ltd, as well as your personal wealth. You didn't need to work, and in fact that is what has caused all the problems. All you would have needed was a visa that you would re-new annually."

Giles grimaced slightly. "The research grant was not the one I had been hoping to get, but I accepted it to establish myself with the company. Most of the materials I needed to use for the research had been in a private collection. Upon the owner's death he had willed half of the collection to the high school library and half to the university library. The only way I could have access to the materials in the high school was to hold a position there. It seemed fortuitous that the job of librarian was open. RCOW Ltd. arraigned for me to get the position and I arrived in Sunnydale two weeks before the school year began."

There was a pause. Helen spoke. "Thank you for telling me. As I said, I was curious. Very well, that's how you came to be in Sunnydale as the school librarian. When and how did you met Buffy, and when did you know you loved her?"

Giles sat for a few minutes; his eyes unfocused at he stared into the past. He drew a deep breath, blinked a few times, and began.

"I had worried about whether or not I would have time to do my research. In my experience, libraries were busy places, but not at Sunnydale high school. Most of the students seemed to feel that they were being punished if they had to come to the library. I spent many of my days in complete solitude."

"About two weeks into the school year a young girl began to come to the library on her study period. She was very shy and blushed whenever she spoke to me, but I discovered she had a sharp mind and was eager to learn. That was how I met Willow. It was a couple of weeks later that Xander started joining her, even though he wasn't interested in studying. They would come in, greet me, then sit down and quietly talk. They never bothered me while I was researching, but if I didn't appear to be reading, Willow would try to draw me into conversations."

"One morning about two months into the school year, the principal came into the teachers lounge and announced that the school was getting a transfer student that day. I didn't pay too much attention because I didn't feel that it would make any difference in my life." Giles shook his head, smiling. "I couldn't have been more wrong. Shortly after school started the doors to the library were flung open and this young girl in a ridiculously short skirt strode into the library as though it were her personal property."

"Her first words to me were that she was there for her reading list. I was stunned. I had been given the lists at the beginning of the year, but no students had asked about them. I just stood staring at her, speechless. She waved her hand in front of my face and asked me if I was real or a statue, and what was it with the tweed? I was so flustered that I blushed and stammered, making a complete prat of myself. I told her that I was Mr. Giles the librarian and that I would fetch her the list." 

"When I walked back out of the office she was looking at me in a way that I must admit made me blush again. She giggled and said something to the effect that even in the tweed I was cute in a Hugh Grant-ish kind of way and that she was going to call me Giles because the 'Mr.' was too stuffy. My life changed at that moment, and continues to change everyday that I am privileged to know her."

"So, it was love at first sight?"

"Oh, dear lord, no. In the beginning I thought Buffy was frustrating, irritating, and stubborn beyond my understanding. She also had a warm and generous heart. She shunned the so-called popular crowd and became friends with two of the schools biggest outcasts, Willow and Xander. She took pity on a stodgy old man far from home and included him in her new group. We became a family."

"You thought of her as a daughter?"

"In the beginning, yes. I thought of all of them as my children." Giles looked away for a moment then returned his gaze to her. 

"Willow's parents were neglectful. Never once did they question her association with an older man, or the odd hours she spent in his company. They never once asked where she was going when she would stay out late at a movie or the local teen hangout with Buffy and Xander. They were not abusive; they just didn’t care. Our little family gave her the concern and stability she didn’t receive at home."

"Xander's parents, on the other hand, were abusive. His father drank and hit both his wife and Xander. Xander's mother would then take her anger out on him. By joining our little group, he gained unconditional love and acceptance. I also gave him a refuge when things at home became too much."

"Buffy was brought to Sunnydale because of her parent's divorce. I believe she pulled us together because she saw something of her own pain and loneliness in the rest of us. Willow became the sister she had wanted to share things with, Xander the brother she could tease, and I the father who did not leave. Her situation was different in that after Joyce came to terms with her own pain and confusion, she took notice of Buffy's absences."

"Joyce being Buffy's mother?"

"Yes, I'm sorry I didn’t make that clear. I'm afraid that Joyce and I started off on the wrong foot. I met her for the first time when she came storming into the library looking for Buffy. It was almost 9 o'clock at night and I'm sure she was expecting to find us in some kind of compromising situation. Instead she was stunned to find me tutoring Buffy and Willow for their SAT's. I could tell that most of her anger was directed at herself. She was afraid that her recent self-absorption had placed Buffy in danger, and because she was afraid she lashed out. She forbid Buffy to see me outside of regular school hours."

"How did Buffy react to that?"

"Buffy and her mother are very much alike; headstrong and determined to have their own way. I heard the two of them arguing as they left the library that night, and Buffy was still angry the next day. She was going on and on about how her mother kept driving men out of her life and that she wasn't gong to let Joyce keep her from seeing me. Willow calmed her down and explained that since I wasn't an American citizen, if Buffy continued to defy her mother it could cause me problems."

"I can understand her mother's concerns. Why were you still at the school library so late at night?"

"I've spent most of my adult life doing research in one form or other, and that is a very solitary life, but it was always my choice. When I moved to Sunnydale that choice was taken from me. I was a stranger, isolated and alone. Buffy felt the same way. After her parent's divorce she was taken from the only home she had known and lost all her friends. Joyce was so concerned with getting her business up and running that it was usually after 10 o'clock before she came home. Buffy didn't want to be in the house alone, I didn't want to be in my flat alone. The library was neutral territory."

"A few weeks after the incident, Buffy started dating Angel and I began seeing Jenny, the computer instructor at the school. When Joyce became aware of this, she relented and allowed me to resume tutoring Buffy for her SAT's, with the understanding that all studying was to be done at the school and to go no later than 7 o'clock. Later on she relaxed even more and permitted Buffy to study at my flat as long as others were present. " 

"Slowly, Buffy began to come to me with personal problems. Venting over something Joyce had said or done. Asking advice about her relationship with Angel. She would come to my flat and cry whenever her father broke a promise to her. I would offer her tea and a non-judgmental ear." Giles blushed slightly.

"She told me when she lost her virginity on her 17th birthday. I remember the fear in her eyes when she asked me if I was disappointed in her for not waiting. I felt a small twinge of pain, but told myself that it was just the normal feelings any father would have in the same situation. I gave her a hug and told her she would always have my respect." Giles gave her a small smile.

"It was a few months later when both our worlds fell apart. Unknown to Buffy, when Angel lived in Los Angeles he had been involved with a gang. He had moved to Sunnydale in an attempt to get away from them and for a time it worked, but they found him. To punish him for breaking away from the gang, they began to systematically terrorize anyone he was involved with."

"Buffy?"

Giles nodded. "Buffy, and by extension, anyone close to her. They knew we spent most of our time at the school and they came there one night. It just so happened that we weren't there, but Jenny was. She had stayed late to prepare for class the next day. We have no way of knowing what was said when they found her alone, but she was clearly in fear of her life. Jenny struggled with her attackers." Giles swallowed hard and looked away. "Her neck was broken. As a warning to the rest of us they took her body to my flat and put it in my bed."

"Oh, my God! How awful for you."

Giles just nodded and sat for a few moments in silence. Drawing a deep breath, he continued. "The next attack was more precise, although they still missed catching Angel or Buffy. Willow, Xander, and myself were injured. Kendra, an exchange student who happened to stay late to work on a term paper, was killed. Thankfully, Xander managed to get Willow out of there before either of them was hurt too badly. The gang took its frustration out on me and I was beaten rather severely. Several ribs were broken as well as all the fingers in my left hand."

"The doctor told me that due to nerve damage I would lose the use of my hand." Giles flexed his fingers for Helen to see. "I can't make a completely tight fist, and it aches in cold weather, but as you can see, the doctor was wrong." He lay his hand back on the table.

"Earlier that evening Buffy and Joyce had argued and Joyce demanded that Buffy stay home. When Buffy started out the door, Joyce lost her temper and said something she didn't mean. She told Buffy that if she left, to not come back."

"Oh, no."

"Any other time it would have blown over. Buffy would have stayed with Willow a couple of days, then she would have gone home. But when Buffy came to the library to talk to me, she found Kendra dead and the library ransacked. She discovered that the rest of us were in hospital and she blamed herself. Everything was too much and she felt as though she had no one to turn too, so she went to the bus station and took the first bus out of town."

Helen looked at him with sudden understanding. "That's why you took all those trips that summer. You were looking for Buffy."

"You know about my trips?"

"I told you, I ran background checks. You caught the attention of the DEA for a while that summer. They didn't know why you were taking so many unexpected trips, but after they determined drugs weren't involved, they stopped tracking you." 

Giles looked surprised. "Good lord. I never considered that anyone would wonder about my travels." He shook his head. "Joyce was frantic when Buffy didn't come home after a couple of days. When she got in touch with Willow she found out about the attack and was even more distressed. Joyce was receiving no support from her ex-husband and she couldn't afford to close the gallery to look for Buffy, so I said that I would look for her. She hired a private investigator and every time he called with a lead, I would go to check it out. After Buffy came home, we decided that the investigator had just been stringing Joyce along for the money, because Buffy was in Los Angeles the entire time, and that was the one city the man never claimed to have had sightings of her."

"Giles, now that you brought up your injuries, during my background check I found that you took a number of trips to the emergency room, trips that ended when the school blew up. What was that about?"

Giles ducked his head and paused. He glanced back up and said, "I was giving the children self-defense lessons and I let them use me as a practice dummy. We used the library because it was the only place any of us had access to that had sufficient space. I had given them all the coaching I was capable of just shortly before graduation, so there was no need to find another training space after the school was destroyed."

"I didn't see any mention of self-defense training in the information I found about you."

"I haven't had formal training myself, just a misspent youth. While I was at Oxford I rebelled and dropped out. I lived a rather rough existence on the streets of London for a couple of years before I came to my senses and returned to Oxford. Some of the techniques I showed them could best be described as street fighting and I didn't want them practicing on each other."

Helen looked across the table at the man who was so much more than the sum of the information in his file. There he sat, the image of the perfect gentleman, yet he had just confessed to having been a street punk. What was the English phrase, a 'teddy boy'? Hard to believe, and yet, there was the feeling she had gotten from his picture. He truly could be a dangerous man.

"Was it when Buffy was gone that you decided you loved her?"

Giles frowned slightly at the phrasing of the question. "I was deeply worried, and on some level I suppose you would call it love, but 'in love' with her no, not then. At least, I don't think so. That certainly wasn't when I admitted it to myself."

"When was that?"

There was another flash of pain in his eyes. "Her 18th birthday."

"What happened?"

"She was attacked, almost killed."

Helen waited in silence for him to continue. Instead, he rose from the chair and began pacing around the patio. He stopped and stood staring across the parking lot, lost in thought. Long moments later he returned to his seat and resumed.

"Buffy's birthday is January 22nd. On New Year's day I received a call from Quentin Travers, the man at the Council who had given me this assignment. He told me they were sending a young man to work with me, to study my methods of research. I was to be his mentor for 6 months. When I protested, I was told that I had no choice, that there was a clause in my contract that gave them the right to do this. A few days later he arrived."

"His name was Zachary Kralic, and I was uneasy about him as soon as I met him. I don't know if you've ever had that experience when first meeting someone. That feeling that the person isn't what he was supposed to be?" Giles looked at Helen inquiringly. She nodded. "I tried to tell myself that it was just resentment due to the fact that I had been forced to accept him, but something definitely felt wrong."

"He was too eager to please, always smiling and agreeing with anything I said. It was like having a physical shadow, every time I turned around, there he was. The only time I could escape from him was when I came here to my flat, and after the first week he started following me home as well. He was driving me crazy. I didn’t know how I was going to handle having him around for six months."

"He had been here a couple of weeks when Willow came into my office at the library. She was upset, and it took me a few minutes to get her to tell me what was wrong. She said that Zachary had been watching her whenever she came into the library, that he had been giving her the wiggins."

"Wiggins?"

"Yes, it’s a term that Willow and Buffy use to mean feeling uncomfortable. Willow then told me that he had followed her into the stacks. She said that the look in his eyes had frightened her, that he had reached out like he was going to touch her, when Buffy had appeared at the end of the aisle and he had pulled away. I thanked her for telling me and promised that Zachary wouldn’t bother her again."

"When I approached Zachary with what Willow had told me, he flatly denied that it had happened. He suggested that Willow was trying to get attention by laying false accusations against him. I informed him that I had known Willow for three years, that she was an honest girl and that I believed her. I told him that to make sure nothing like this happened again, I was confining him to the library office. He could do the research that needed to be done there. His face twisted with rage and his eyes blazed with anger, then he seemed to gain control of himself and he smiled and agreed to what I said. I knew then that something was wrong and I called Quentin Travers."

"When I pressed him for information on Zachary he refused to tell me anything. When I told him what had happened with Willow, he blustered a bit, then tried to make that same claim that Zachary had, that Willow was making it up. I cut him off, and told him that I wanted Zachary recalled. Travers refused. I then told him that if any of the other girls made similar complaints against Zachary I would call the police."

"Travers became frantic. He said that under no circumstance were the police to be involved. He said it would take a few days, but that he would send some men to inform Zachary that he was going back to London, and to help him pack. He told me I was to say nothing, that the men would call me when they arrived in Sunnydale."

"Didn’t that seem odd? Why not just call Zachary himself and tell him to go back?"

"After I had time to think, yes it seemed strange. At the time of the call I was still angry about how they had tried to blame Willow for the incident. The next few days were quiet, Zachary staying in the office when at the school. On the 21st, the day before Buffy’s birthday, I was called into the principals’ office for some stupid meeting. When I came back to the library, I found Zachary on the floor with Buffy and Xander standing over him."

"Buffy said that after I left the library Zachary had walked up behind her and grabbed her. When she had told him to let her go, he had just laughed and said that he knew that she was just playing hard to get, that she wanted him. Buffy used some of the fighting techniques that I taught her and got away from him. He began chasing her around the library. Xander came in, distracting Zachary enough that Buffy was able to knock him out. I immediately called the police."

"After the police took him away, I called Travers. He began yelling at me, reminding me that he had ordered me to not involve the police. I told him that I didn’t give a bloody damn for his orders. Travers said that his two men would be in Sunnydale that afternoon; that they would handle situation with Zachary and that I was to keep out of it. I took Buffy home and waited until Joyce arrived to explain what had happened."

"The next morning at school I received a telephone call. He identified himself as one of the men that Travers had sent to take Zachary back to London. He asked me to come to his motel room. When I got there I found that he had been badly beaten and that the other man was dead. He said they had bailed Zachary out of jail that morning and he had gone berserk, attacking them. He asked for my help in capturing Zachary."

"I immediately thought about Buffy and called the school to tell her to leave the library and go to a classroom where she would have protection. Willow answered the phone, in tears. Zachary had already called saying that he had Joyce and that he would kill her if Buffy didn’t come alone and surrender herself to him. Buffy had begged the others to not call the police and she went. Willow said she had written the address down and left it for me. I told Willow to call the police as soon as we hung up and left to go after Buffy."

"When I broke into the house I saw Joyce bound and gagged in a chair, and Buffy on the floor. She had apparently been able to fight him off for a while, because they were both scratched and bleeding. Zachary was kneeling over her ripping at her clothing. I pulled him off her and started hitting him." For the first time since beginning the story, Giles looked at Helen. "I was so angry that I lost control. I was going to kill him."

"What stopped you?"

"Buffy. There she was, bruised, bleeding, clothing torn, crying and shaking and she was begging me to not kill Zachary. It wasn’t worth my going to jail for killing him, she said. I untied Joyce and used the rope to bind Zachary. I heard a car pull up and was relieved that the police had gotten there before Zachary had regained consciousness, but my relief turned to anger when the door opened and Travers came in instead." 

"Two men followed him and they picked Zachary up and took him out of the room. Travers just stood there, the smug bastard. He told me that getting the police to ignore Willow’s call and to purge Zachary’s arrest record had cost the Council a great deal of money. He said that my father’s love for the child, meaning Buffy, had blinded me to my obligation to my employer. Since I had ignored his direct order to not involve the police, I had broken my contract and he was firing me. I told him I didn’t give a damn about his bloody job and that he could go to Hell."

"The police ignored murder?" Helen was incredulous. "I find that hard to believe."

"The police in Sunnydale have a history of corruption, and to be honest, I don’t think they knew that Zachary had killed anyone. Travers’ men were loyal to him, and I’m sure none of them said anything to the police. I saw no purpose to pursue the matter since it would have been my word against theirs, and Travers had the bank account of the Council to draw from for more bribes." 

"I did find out why Travers was so insistent on silence. It seems that Zachary Kralic wasn’t his real name. He was the son of a very high government official who was up for re-election and the Council was trying to curry favor by taking care of his problem. Zachary had a history of obsessive behavior towards young women. Apparently they thought they could control any incidents better if he was out of England. Bloody pillocks."

"And this incident was what made you realize that you were in love with Buffy?"

"Yes, when Travers said that nonsense about my father’s love for her I suddenly realized that I no longer thought of Buffy as a daughter. I also knew that I could never say anything. I was sure that she thought of me as a substitute father and would be disgusted by my feelings. I didn’t think that it would matter, because I thought I would be leaving the country."

"Did Travers come right out and say that he was going to have your green card revoked?"

"No, but I assumed he would. I decided not to push matters and to wait until I was officially informed. A week went by, then another, then a month and no call or letter arrived. I then assumed that he had either changed his mind, or that perhaps a superior had overruled the decision. I wasn’t receiving a paycheck from them, but as you know, I didn’t need it. I was happy to stay here as the school librarian, doing my research and being near Buffy and the others."

"When the school blew up I again expected to hear from your office, and again nothing. In fact, two weeks after the explosion I received my annual visa renewal in the mail. I filled it out, mailed it back, and received notification that my visa had indeed been renewed. So, as you can imagine, it was quite a shock to receive your letter last week."

"Yes, I can imagine." Helen shook her head. "Now I understand why Mr. Travers was so angry when I spoke with him this morning."

Giles looked startled. "You talked to Travers this morning?"

"Yes, I spoke with him last week also, and from his responses then you would have thought that he could barely remember who you were much less care if you were deported or not. Then this morning he called me and he was so angry he was almost incoherent. He demanded that I call him personally, any time day or night, and let him know when your deportation date was set." Helen gave Giles a considering look. "I knew there had to be something personal behind your firing. The kind of anger he was exhibiting this morning had nothing to do with a simple breach of contract. He must have remembered the details and was afraid that you would say something."

Giles shrugged. "With no police records of any of the events, it's still my word against his and I am an employee who was fired from the company. I don't see why he would be worried." Giles winced inwardly, knowing the real reason Travers was so angry. 

"From what you said about him, and from my conversations with him, I would say that Quentin Travers is a man who values image above all else. You are in a position to damage his image. It doesn't matter that we will never meet, just the thought that I would know something detrimental to his image is distressing."

"You could be right." Giles smiled. Perhaps Helen's thinking that Travers' animosity was a personal vendetta would work in his favor.

"Let's get back to the subject at hand. You finished out the school year, and the school exploded during graduation. How did that happen?"

"The only explanation that I heard was a faulty gas line. Personally, I think it was sabotage of some kind. The principal was a man named Snyder, and he made a lot of enemies. The podium where he was standing was totally destroyed. No trace of him was ever found."

Helen stared at him, speechless. She finally shook her head and looked back through her notes. She found what she was looking for, hesitated and then said, "I'm a little confused. You said you were dating a lady named Jenny, who was killed, and a year later you realized you were in love with Buffy."

Giles nodded. "That's correct."

"You mentioned your last lover was named Olivia. How does she come into the picture? Was it before you moved to Sunnydale?"

"Olivia," Giles sighed. He took off his glasses and polished them, stalling for time while he thought. He rubbed his eyes and replaced the glasses. He sighed again, then began.

"Towards the end of my rebellion, a month or so before I went back to Oxford, I met this young girl. She had just come to London to pursue a career in modeling. At some function or other she hooked up with this bloke who was serious bad news. He brought her to a party I was attending. I had already started to pull away from that life, and I don't know why I went that night. Later, Liv said it was her guardian angel making sure someone would be there to help her."

"I overheard the man who brought her telling another man about how he was going to put drugs in her drink. He was then going to take her into the bedroom for a private 'party'. He told the other guy he was welcome to join them." Giles met Helen's eyes. "In England, 16 is the age of consent for sex. It is also the legal age for drinking. Olivia was just past her 16th birthday and on her own, but I could tell from the way she was acting that she was still innocent in many ways. I couldn't stand by and let this happen to her. I took her aside and told her what I had overheard."

"She became frightened and upset. She wanted to leave, but he had brought her and she didn't have a way home. I called her a cab and went out with her to wait for it. We talked a bit, the cab came, and she left. I expected that to be the end of the matter. A couple of weeks later, I got a call from her agent, a man named Harry Trumble. That other jerk had shown up at one of Olivia's photo shoots and caused a scene. Liv ending up telling everyone about what had almost happened at the party. Harry wanted to meet with me to personally thank me for protecting her."

"We hit it off pretty well, and for the next couple of years I would get regular letters from Harry along with the occasional card from Liv. I read in the papers that she got married, and sent along my congratulations. One day about six months later the doorbell rang and to my surprise Olivia was there. She had caught her husband with another model and wanted a shoulder to cry on. One thing led to another and we ended up in bed. She stayed with me for a couple of days, then left to divorce her husband."

"This set the stage for our relationship. Liv would fall in love and either get married or have a passionate love affair with that person. It would fall apart and she would come to me for comfort sex. I know it sounds callous, but really, that's all it was. It was enjoyable, but neither of us ever considered that there would be anything permanent between us."

Helen looked at Giles in shock. A fashion model named Olivia, and he called her Liv. "Liv, the supermodel? That Liv?"

Giles smiled ruefully. "Yes, that Liv. Hard to believe, isn't it."

Helen murmured, "No, not really." She sub-consciously ran her eyes over him. Giles quirked an eyebrow at her and she blushed, blinked and looked away.

Giles grinned and continued. "Flash forward to Sunnydale last spring. I was forced to be one of the chaperons at the Prom. Buffy looked so beautiful that night, so mature. I had to fight myself all night to keep from going over and asking her to dance. I especially wanted to go to her because her date, Angel, had stood her up. I didn't dare, there was still two weeks of school left and if Principal Snyder saw us together he would cause trouble. Then I thought that my chance had arrived. The band announced that the next dance would be the last, and I saw Snyder leaving. I crossed the room and just as I started to ask her, Angel showed up. I watched them dance."

Giles gave another little shrug. "It hurt to watch them together, especially since I felt that he was wrong for her. Not that I ever expected her to love me," he hastened to add, "but because of what had happened due to his gang involvement. Then I noticed that they had stopped dancing and he was saying something to her. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, then walked away, leaving her alone on the dance floor. The music ended and I went to her."

"She was standing so still, with the track of a single tear running down her cheek. I don’t remember what I said, I was just babbling, trying to get that stunned look off her face. When I finally ran out of things to say, she told me that Angel said he was leaving Sunnydale. He was going to work at a youth shelter in Los Angeles, to help keep kids out of gangs. He told her that he loved her, would always love her, but that she was better off without him. No matter how much I agreed with him, I was still furious. Prom night is one of the most important events of a teenage girl's life, and he spoiled it for her. I had heard her and Willow talking on other occasions about ice cream being the cure for a broken heart, so I offered to take her out for ice cream. She finally smiled, but declined and asked me to drive her home."

"During the two weeks that remained of school Buffy didn't come into the library as often, and she seemed uneasy around me. I was afraid that perhaps I had let my feelings show and she was afraid of a repeat of what had happened with Zachary. My fears appeared to be confirmed by the fact that after school ended, Buffy never came to visit me."

"I had grown accustomed to the three of them being around and when that stopped, I became depressed. Oh, Willow would stop by for a few minutes once a week and Xander every couple of weeks, but Buffy never came at all. Finally the fall semester began at the college and I found myself looking for Buffy whenever I went to the library on campus, but I never saw her. One night while I was sitting in the stillness of my flat, I decided that I had enough material for the book and that I would return to England."

"No sooner had I decided that than the phone rang. It was Liv. She was in Los Angeles and had just finished a shoot. She wanted to know if she could come see me. I agreed and two hours later she was here. I'm embarrassed to admit that while I was waiting for her, I got a little drunk. Not a lot, just enough to lower my guard. When she told me her latest love disaster, I countered by confessing my feelings for Buffy. As usual, we ended the evening in bed. The next morning, there was a knock on the door."

Helen interrupted. "Let me guess, Buffy?"

"Buffy. Since I hadn't been expecting anyone and I thought I would just be getting rid of a salesman, I only put on my robe. When I saw Buffy I was stunned, but from the look on her face, so was she. I'm afraid I was rather abrupt with her. I just wanted her to leave before she saw Olivia, but that was taken out of my hands. Liv came down from the loft wearing one of my shirts, walked over to me, put her arms around me and asked when I was coming back to bed."

Helen tried to stifle a grin. "Oh, dear."

"Indeed. I felt like a man whose wife had caught him with another woman. Buffy paled, and I thought for a moment she was going to faint, then her face flushed and she demanded to know what was going on. That made me angry and I replied rather sharply that my private life was none of her business. We then proceeded to say a number of things we didn't mean, ending with Buffy saying that I was old and the thought of my having sex was very gross."

"Knowing how you feel, that had to have hurt." Helen said sympathetically. 

"Not really. Yes, it hurt to have her confirm my suspicions that she thought of me as a father figure. But as for the rest, it was just the false superiority of youth talking. I was just as arrogant at that age, and just as disgusted at the thought of my parents having sex. In any event, she ran off and I asked Liv what the bloody hell she thought she was doing. She replied that she had been trying to make Buffy jealous. We then had a big argument and Liv left. She called me the next day and apologized. She told me she had an offer of a two-month photo shoot in various locations around the Pacific Rim and asked if she could call me when she got back. I agreed."

"I tried calling Buffy, but got either Willow or the answering machine. She refused to speak to me. The weeks went by and I did more research on my book. Willow told me that Buffy had started dating a young man from one of their classes. So when Liv called to let me know she was back in the country, I asked if she could keep the next month free to help me move back to England and she agreed. Then something happened."

Giles paused to take a drink of water. "I'm sure you heard on the news about the unexplained incident when the entire town couldn't speak?"

"Yes, I remember. There were quite a few rumors about what had happened; the one that was favored the most was covert government experiments."

"That happened the morning after Liv arrived. We had both just woke up and were wondering if it was some strange kind of laryngitis that she had caught in the Orient and passed on to me. Then there was a knock on the door. It was Buffy and Willow. They couldn't speak either. Buffy rushed into my arms and I could feel her trembling. Then she saw Liv and drew away. Xander and his girlfriend came to the door then and the six of us spent the next few days together, just giving each other moral support. Then one morning we woke up and we could talk again. The others went back to their lives and I had a talk with Liv."

Giles paused for a long moment. "I told her that she no doubt thought me to be a foolish old man, but I couldn't leave Buffy after all. She told me that the only foolish thing I was doing was not telling Buffy how I felt. Liv said that from the way Buffy had been watching the two of us, she wasn't as uninterested as I assumed." Giles gave a brief smile. "It gave me hope, but I couldn't risk telling Buffy and losing what little I had if Liv was wrong. So we continued along as we were until I received your letter last week."

"When she read the letter, Buffy fainted. After she came to, she clung to me, crying, saying over and over how she couldn't lose me. Willow got on the Internet to see if there was some loophole that would allow me to stay. When she told Buffy that the only thing she could find was if I married an American citizen, Buffy insisted that we fly to Las Vegas and get married. I tried to talk her out of it, tried to tell her it would be better to wait until after the interview today, but she almost became hysterical. I had only seen her so upset twice before; when Jenny was killed and when she was attacked. I just couldn't bear to see her cry."

He paused again, and then a look of wonder came over his face as he continued. "She told me she loved me, had realized she loved me the night of the Prom. That was why she had been avoiding me, she was embarrassed because she thought that I thought of her as a daughter. She had planned to stay away a while, to give me the chance to see her as a woman, not a teenager. Then came the whole debacle with Olivia. And the rest you know."

Helen took a deep breath, and looked down at her watch. They had only been on the patio for a little over an hour. It had seemed much longer. What an amazing story. He really loved that girl, you could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice. She liked this man, and for his sake, she hoped that Buffy told a similar enough story that she could give her approval. 

"Then that would appear to end your interview. Would you please send Buffy out?" Helen gave him a stern look. "I'm trusting you to not say anything to her, just send her to me."

Giles nodded. "Of course." He rose and entered the apartment. 

Through the window Helen could see Buffy rush to him. He put a hand over her mouth to halt her speech. He spoke one short sentence, then pulled her to him for a quick kiss. Buffy nodded, walked out the door, crossed the patio and sat down opposite Helen. Her face was set in a tense smile and Helen could see fear in her eyes. "Hit me with your best shot."


	8. Interview with the INS - Buffy

Buffy watched anxiously as Giles went out onto the patio with the lady from the INS. He said something, she replied. He smiled and spoke again. This time her reply was longer and Giles frowned. Buffy could see his lips move as he said "Bloody hell'. Something was wrong. He glanced towards her and smiled reassuringly. Buffy smiled back and stepped away from the window.

As she turned back towards the others her smile collapsed. "It doesn't look good guys. She's already said something to upset him." Her face set in lines of determination. "If they make him leave, you had better be ready to decide if you want to move or stay in Sunnydale without a Slayer, cause I'm going with him."

Xander looked startled. "But, what about the Hellmouth?"

"I don't care, I'm not going to lose Giles now. If the Council wants a Slayer on the Hellmouth then they had better find a way to bring Faith out of the coma." When Xander started to speak again, Buffy waved him down. "That can wait, we need to talk. I should have told you guys this stuff already, but I was waiting for Giles to come back from the store. We didn't expect the INS to get here so early. If she wants to interview you, you'll need to know the story we discussed with Mom last night."

Willow looked puzzled for a second, then nodded. "Right, I keep forgetting that not everyone knows about vamps and demons."

"Yeah, cause if they knew, this wouldn't be happening. No one would question that a Slayer needs her Watcher. Anyway, we came up with some basic facts, and how you tell them is up to you. It would be suspicious if we all told the exact same story."

Willow looked troubled. "Buffy, is that all that this is about? Slayer/Watcher? What about Giles?"

"It's all about Giles. I'm just saying that if vamps were common knowledge Giles would never have needed to lie about why he was here. A Watcher being assigned to a Slayer shouldn't need a green card to stay with her." Buffy looked away, then back to Willow. "I love him, Will. I have since the Prom. I've finally grown up enough to admit it, at least to you. I haven't said it to him yet. Well, I did, but he didn't believe me. He thinks its part of the cover story." She grinned and a slight blush bloomed on her cheeks. "I'll tell him after everyone leaves. I told you earlier, I'm going to carpe Giles tonight."

Xander groaned and put his hands over his ears. "Please, too much information."

Willow grinned. "Shouldn't Giles have a say in the matter? What if he doesn’t want to?"

Buffy looked anxious. "Why wouldn't he want to? I mean, you guys did say that he was hot for me, right? Were you just kidding?"

"No, he's hooked. I just meant that he might think it's panic on your part and will want to wait, you know, just in case you change your mind. He'll want to make sure you won't regret it."

Buffy relaxed with a smile. "Oh, that. No prob. If he starts getting stuffy, I'll just kiss him until he surrenders. Slayer strength can come in pretty handy. Although, if that kiss in the kitchen was any indication, he won't need to be persuaded much."

Xander groaned again. "Really, really, REALLY, too much information."

Buffy and Willow laughed and they all sat down. "Ok guys, here's the sitch." Buffy proceeded to tell them story that had been created the previous night. While she was going over the part of the story that accounted for Giles' being fired, they heard laughter coming from the patio.

Going to the window they could see Giles smiling broadly at the woman from the INS. She was bent over, clutching the edge of the table and laughing so hard that tears were flowing down her face.

Willow glanced at the other two. "That looks like a good. Maybe it'll be okay."

The others nodded and they went back to the sofa to continue their conversation.

An hour later Buffy was restlessly pacing around the living room. "What is taking so long? They should be finished by now. What is she asking him?" She glanced out the window and heaved a deep sigh of relief. Giles was walking towards the door. When he entered the apartment she rushed to meet him. "Giles what took…." He cut her off by putting his hand over her mouth.

Giles could see Helen watching them through the window. "Go on out, it will be alright." He caressed her cheek gently, then gave her a quick kiss. 

The kiss caught Buffy by surprise until she too saw that they were being watched. She gave a brief nod and went out to the patio. Buffy sat across from Helen, smiled tensely and said, "Hit me with your best shot."

Helen looked back at her steadily. "I'm not your enemy. I'm just here to do a job. A job that, at the moment, I'm not very happy to be doing. Regardless, it has to be done." She shuffled some papers on the table. "There will be two parts to this interview. For the first I will ask you a series of questions. I want you to answer with as little thought as possible, like doing a word association. I want you to answer first for yourself, then what you think Giles said. For example, if I asked you what you fathers' names are you would say?"

"My dad's name is Hank and Giles' is Robert."

"Exactly, just like that, your response first, then what you think he said. The second part will just be the two of us talking. You will tell me how you met Giles and what led up to your marriage. From time to time I may ask a question, just answer as truthfully as possible. Are you ready?"

Buffy nodded.

"First question. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

"I wanted to be an Olympic ice skater. Giles wanted to be either a fighter pilot or a grocer. He said he changed his mind from day to day."

"Next question, what was your childhood nickname?"

"Mine was Dorothy…"

"Dorothy?" Helen interrupted. "What kind of nickname is that?"

"It was cause of my ice skating. Dad used to call me his little Dorothy Hamill. Giles' nickname was Ripper." Buffy was a little worried. Ripper had been his nickname when he was running around with Ethan, so it wasn't a childhood name, but he hadn't ever mentioned another. Also, neither of these questions had been on the list that Willow had given them. This wasn't good.

"What brand of body lotion do you use and what brand of after-shave does Giles use?"

"I get my body lotion from a local shop and its called Vanilla Lace. Giles' after-shave is called Aqua Velva." Actually she didn't know what he used, but that was the name of the stuff her father used and it was the only name she could remember.

"What brand of toothpaste do you use?"

"We both use Colgate." At least she did and she didn't remember seeing anything else in the bathroom.

"What brand of breakfast cereal do you eat?"

Breakfast cereal? What kind of dumb questions were these? He ate that English stuff with wheat in the name, but she couldn't remember what it was…..oh, right. Buffy smiled. "I eat Fruit Loops; I really love the sugar rush it gives me. Giles eats Wheaties."

"What type of tea do you drink?"

"I drink whatever Giles fixes. He drinks Earl Grey, so I guess that's what I drink too." Buffy leaned forward and whispered. "I don’t really like tea, but he can't live without it, so I've never told him."

"What was your favorite toy?"

"Mine was my stuffed pig, Mr. Gordo. Giles' were model airplanes." Had to be right? He wanted to be a fighter pilot, so what else could it be?

"What is your favorite book?"

"My favorite book is" Buffy paused, blushing, "Interview with the Vampire. Giles' is Frankenstein."

Helen looked at her, puzzled. Why was Buffy blushing about that book being her favorite? She mentally shrugged and continued. "What is your favorite food?"

"Mine is pizza and Giles' is jelly donuts." Buffy chuckled. "You should see his face when he eats one. He looks like he's having an orgasmic experience."

"What is your favorite television show?"

"Mine is Friends and Giles doesn’t have one. In fact, he doesn't even own a television."

"What type of underwear do you wear?"

"What?"

What type of underwear do you wear?" 

"I bet Rupert got red when you asked him that." Buffy flashed her a grin. 

Helen wondered at the casual way Buffy used Giles' first name when she had been consistently using his last name. True, she had stated that she was 'Rupert's' wife, but she had then slipped into using Giles. Was it just because the question brought to mind a more intimate knowledge of him than anything else had? They had given differing answers to so many of the questions, Helen wondered if she would get this one right.

"I wear bikini underwear and Rupert," Buffy paused as she flashed back to that day they had been training in the old library. Giles had flipped her and she had grabbed at his pants to pull him down as well. As she had touched his hip she realized that she didn't feel any other clothing under the tweed slacks. It had distracted her and she had loosened her hold enough for him to wriggled free. Buffy flushed red as heat again went through her. She cleared her throat. "Rupert doesn't."

A mischievous impulse made Helen ask, "Doesn't what?"

Buffy got even redder. "He doesn't wear any. You know, he goes commando?" Her eyes glazed over a bit and she unconsciously waved her hand in front of her face. In an attempt to regain a bit of control she asked Helen, "Where did that phrase come from anyway?"

Helen ducked her head to hide her smile. "I have no idea. Next question. What is your favorite movie?"

Buffy's blush, which had started to fade, came back with a vengeance. "Mine is Lady Chatterly's Lover, the version that was made in the 70's. One of the actors kinda looks like pictures I've seen of Giles during that time period. Giles' favorite is Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

Helen kept her eyes firmly on her papers, struggling to not laugh. She made a brief note to look for that movie on video. "Who is your favorite singer or group?"

"Mine is Eric Clapton and Giles' is the Bay City Rollers."

"What is your favorite color?"

"Mine is green, the color of Rupert's eyes. His is brown." 

Again the switch to Rupert. Interesting. "Who was the first person you fell in love with?"

"My first love was a boy named Pike, and Giles' was a girl named Sara." 

"Pike? That's a strange name."

"It was his last name. He used it because he thought it made him sound tough."

"Who was your last lover?"

Instead of blushing like Helen expected, Buffy paled. "Do I have to answer that?"

"It is one of the questions. This is something a person should know about the person they marry." Helen looked at Buffy in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Giles doesn't know about this, and I was hoping I wouldn't ever need to tell him." She heaved a deep sigh. Looking down at the table she muttered, "My last lover was this jerk named Parker. Giles' last lover was Olivia." Her face twisted and her voice took on a fake English accent. "Come back to bed, Ripper." Buffy looked across the patio. "Bitch," she whispered.

Helen looked at her in surprise. Somebody had some issues. She reached across the table and patted Buffy's hand. "We're almost finished, just a few more questions. What is the thing you love the most about the person you married?"

"The thing I love most about Rupert?" Her eyes stared into the distance a dreamy smile on her face. "His voice. It makes me melt." She looked back at Helen. "I had been in school here three weeks and I was trying out for the cheerleading squad. We were doing the pyramid thingy and I was on top when it collapsed. It knocked the wind out of me and I couldn't respond to anyone. Everyone was running around screaming 'get the nurse', 'call 911', stuff like that. Then Giles knelt beside me, took hold of my hand and told me everything would be okay, that he would see to it." She sighed. "His voice made me feel so safe and protected. I'm sure I fell a little bit in love with him that day."

"As for what he loves about me, I really don't know. He's so smart and sophisticated. I mean, he has an international fashion model who calls HIM when she's in the mood for great sex. By some miracle he says he loves me. I don't want to jinx it by asking him why."

"Very well, next question. Who taught you how to drive?"

"My friend Xander has been giving me lessons." Buffy frowned. "Giles said he was sent to boarding school, so I guess he learned there."

"What is your favorite piece of jewelry?"

Buffy gave Helen a blindingly bright smile. "This is my favorite piece of jewelry." She held up her left hand. "For Giles, I would say his signet ring. I've never seen him without it."

"Last question."

"Yeah!" Buffy broke in.

Helen smiled. "This has no right or wrong answer; it's purely subjective. If you were animals, what kind of animal do you see Giles as, and what kind of animal do you think he sees you as?"

"What kind of animal do I see Giles as?" Buffy frowned, eyes closed, as she thought. A memory floated to the surface of her mind. She smiled. "When I was little, Mom and Dad used to take me to the zoo. On one of our visits I saw a panther in a cage. He had been separated from the others for some reason and he was just pacing back and forth. When I looked at him he stopped and looked back at me. His eyes weren't gold like the others; they were green like Giles'." Buffy opened her eyes and looked at Helen. "Rupert is just like that panther; controlled power. You can see it when you watch him move, especially when we used to train." Her voice got dreamy again, her eyes unfocused. "The muscles on his back and arms, flexing and moving under the skin. So sleek and smooth." She sighed, then blinked and looked back at Helen, her cheeks a soft pink. "A panther."

"And how do you think he sees you?"

"Oh, I don't know, probably something small and cute like a kitten."

Helen made a note on her paper. "That was the end of the first part of our interview. Now I want you to tell me how you met Giles and about your life here in Sunnydale."

Buffy cocked her head to one side. "Before we start, can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask, but I can't guarantee that I'll answer it."

"It's just that we heard you laughing. I was wondering what was so funny?"

Again the image of Giles in the big gray bunny suit flashed into Helen's mind. A giggle escaped as she tried to control her voice. "Giles said that he thought you saw him as a rabbit. When I asked him why, he said it was because you called him a cuddle bunny. I got this picture in my mind of Bugs Bunny with Giles' face." Her eyes met Buffy's astonished ones. Both women broke down, giggling madly.

After a few minutes Helen cleared her throat, and in a still not quite steady voiced said, "Now, tell me about your life here in Sunnydale and how you met Giles."

Buffy wiped a few tears from her eyes, cleared her throat, and began. "My Mom and I moved here after her divorce from my Dad finalized. Mom decided to open her own gallery, and since Sunnydale was the only school district that would take me, it was a good thing that she found a place here that she could use for her business."

Helen frowned. "I don't understand. Sunnydale was the only school system that would take you?"

"Yeah. Pike, my boyfriend back in LA, was a bit of a troublemaker." Please, Pike, wherever you are, forgive me, Buffy thought. "I bought the whole 'I'm not bad, just misunderstood' routine and went out with him. My friends at school tried to warn me, but there was all this stuff going on at home and he seemed to know all the right things to say to make me feel that someone cared. I got caught out after curfew with him a couple of times and started to get a bit of a rep. This made me even more sure that he was really a good guy, cause I knew that we weren't doing anything wrong." Buffy looked over at Helen, who nodded her understanding.

"So when it came time for the Prom, I asked Pike to go with me and he agreed. It was okay, at first, then some of the snob crowd started picking on him. He went ballistic, started this big fight, and got kicked out. To get even, he snuck back in and started a fire in the bathroom. Even though I had nothing to do with it, because I had brought him I got blamed too and was kicked out of school."

"How terrible for you," Helen said sympathetically.

"Dad used it as an example of how my Mom was a bad mother and tried to get custody of me, but because I was 15 the judge told me I could choose who I wanted to live with and I chose Mom. Dad has never really forgiven me; I haven't seen him since that day in the courtroom. Oh, he calls, occasionally, and says he's coming to see me, but he always finds an excuse to not come."

"So that's how I came to Sunnydale. My first day of school I was really nervous, but the principal, Mr. Flutie, was really sweet. He made me feel welcome, said that he wouldn't judge me on my past. He gave me my class schedule and said that due to being in his office I was already late for my first class, so I should just skip it and familiarize myself with the school. He also told me that I needed to get the reading list from the librarian, so I decided to do that first."

"Walking into the library was weird, because nobody was there. At my old school the library had been one of the big meeting places, but here it was empty. I looked around and saw this really cute guy in an incredibly ugly suit standing behind the counter, so I walked over and asked him for the reading list. He just stared at me. I waved my hand in front of him and asked him if he was a statue and what the heck was he doing wearing tweed in California."

"He blushed and stuttered and finally got out that he was Mr. Giles, the librarian, and he went into his office to get the list. He was just so yummy when he blushed, so I decided to see if I could make him do it again. When he came back out of the office I checked him out in a pretty obvious way, and sure enough he got all red. I told him that even in the tweed he was a real Hugh Grant and that I was going to call him Giles cause the 'Mr' was too stuffy. He was still stuttering and stammering when I left the library." 

"Starting at a new high school was kinda hard. Most of them had known each since forever and all the cliques had been formed. I retreated to the library and met Willow and Xander." Buffy smiled briefly. "Xander was a bit of a wannabe letch, but he was too nice to really be one. Willow was afraid that I would make fun of her because she liked being in the library. They were the first kids here that accepted me, no questions asked. They've been my best friends ever since."

"Giles told me that you were the focal point, that they formed a family around you. Willow the sister you could share things with, Xander the brother you always wanted and he was the father that didn't leave."

"He's right about Will and Xand, but I never thought of him as a father. It's probably hard for you to believe since he's only a couple of years younger than my Dad, but I've never considered Giles an authority figure." Buffy shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it, but he's always felt like an equal to me. Like I needed him to complete me." She shook her head in frustration. "I know I'm not saying this right. I'm not saying that I've been in love with him from the beginning, after all I was attracted to Angel as soon as I met him, and Giles loved Jenny, but there has always been love, of some kind."

"How did you feel about Giles and Jenny?"

"I liked Jenny, and we all teased Giles terribly about wanting to date her, but I didn't think she was right for him."

"Why not?"

"Jenny never understood his love of books. She was always telling him that in the future books would become obsolete; that everything would be stored in computers. She called him stuffy and a fuddy-duddy." 

Buffy gave Helen a sheepish look. "Now that I think back on it, I think I was a little jealous because she was the only other person who could make him blush and stutter."

Helen smiled her understanding, and then frowning glanced down at her papers. She flipped through a few, then said, "Could we back up a minute? You said the name of the principle was Mr. Flutie, but Giles said that the principle's name was Mr. Snyder."

"Principle Flutie was killed by a pack of wild dogs a couple of months after I got here. Snyder was the Vice Principle and he took over. If he had been in charge I wouldn't have been allowed to even start school. The first day he was Principle he came into the library and told me that I was a troublemaker and the first time I made a mistake he was going to get rid of me."

Buffy looked away, then back at Helen. "Did Giles tell you about the stuff that happened that caused me to run away?"

"Yes."

"There is one thing he couldn't have told you, because he didn't know. When I came to talk to him after Mom kicked me out of the house, I found the library trashed and that exchange student, Kendra, dead. Snyder found me kneeling next to her body. He grabbed me, dragged me to his office and called the police. I tried to tell him that I didn't do it, that I had just found her, but he kept gloating about how he was going to enjoy seeing the police put me in handcuffs. I had to knock him out to get away before the police arrived."

"Xander got back from taking Willow to the hospital at the same time the police got there and he told them about the gang attack and that I hadn't even been there when it happened, but I didn't know that. I thought I was wanted for murder. That's why I didn't try to get in touch with anyone. I was afraid if I called them and the police found out about it they would be arrested for being an accessory."

"I had been gone almost four months when one day I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to know how everyone was, so I decided to risk sneaking home. I found that it had all been for nothing, that the police didn't want me after all. Mom tried to get me back in school, but Snyder refused. Giles got me back in by pulling a Ripper and threatening to take my story to the newspapers. Snyder backed down because he was afraid of a bad reaction from the school board, but from that day on he was always looking for something he could use to get rid of us both."

"What do you mean, pulling a Ripper?"

"When Giles lived on the streets in London, he went by the name of Ripper." Buffy chuckled. "I guess Rupert wasn't macho enough. Anyway, he can still be pretty intimidating when he puts his mind to it. I call it pulling a Ripper. He doesn’t to it very often, which makes it more effective when he does. I remember the first time I saw him do it; it was a kinda scary change, sorta like Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde. This guy he had run around with back in the day came to Sunnydale and tried to blackmail him about some of the stuff they had done. You know, sex, drugs and rock and roll? Everything about Giles changed; voice, eyes, body language. He told the guy to tell anyone anything he wanted, that he wouldn't give him a penny, then he grabbed him by his hair and threw him out of the library."

"I can understand how that would frighten you."

"It only scared me for a minute, then I thought it made him even sexier. But it really weirded Jenny out. She wouldn't go out with him for a while after that. Jenny had trouble with the fact that the blushing guy she called a fuddy-duddy had such a wild past."

Helen remembered her reaction to Giles' photograph. Dangerous man indeed. She was glad that her intuition was still batting a thousand. She nodded. "You said that you felt love of some kind from the beginning, and you just said that you thought of him as sexy when he would go into 'Ripper' mode, so just exactly when did you realize that you were in love with him?"

"The night of the Prom. I walked into the gym and saw him across the room and literally lost my breath. I mean, he had always looked good in that 'tweedy college professor' way, but that night, the sight of him in a tux, wow." Buffy shook her head. "There just aren't words."

"I had been all bummed out because Angel had stood me up, then I saw Giles and some part of my mind said, 'Angel who?'. We spent the whole evening on opposite sides of the gym sneaking peaks at each other. When they started the last song he walked over to me and I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. He smiled, and started to say something, then his face went blank and he turned me around. Angel was standing in the doorway."

"I felt guilty cause Angel was pretty upset and I didn't really care, so I paid a lot of attention to him. Then the dork made this big speech about how he would always love me, but we couldn't be together, and he walked away leaving me standing in the middle of the dance floor. When Giles came over to he was so sweet. He kept saying things, trying to make me feel better, and he offered to take me for ice cream. I couldn't respond because I didn't know how to tell him that I wasn't feeling that bad. I mean, for two years I had been going on and on about how much I loved Angel, and then it was like someone had flipped a switch. It was just gone. I couldn't tell anyone, especially Giles, cause it seemed so flighty and immature."

"Giles mentioned that you avoided him after the Prom. He thought that he had given away his feelings and that you were afraid of him."

"Afraid of him?" Buffy looked astonished. "Why would he think that? I could never be afraid of Giles."

"Because of what had happened with the stalker, what was his name?" Helen looked back through her notes, but before she could find it she heard Buffy whisper, "Zachary Kralic."

Helen looked up to see Buffy close her eyes, her face pale. In an instinctive effort to ease the pain she saw in the young girls' face, Helen reached across the table and laid her hand on Buffy's. "It's alright, you don't need to talk about it. Giles was pretty explicit about what happened."

Buffy swallowed hard. In a low voice she said, "It wasn’t so much the thought that he was going to rape me; although that would have been bad I could have survived it. He told me he was going to kill me, and I believed him. I could see it in his eyes. He was going to kill me and then kill my Mom. I fought him for as long as I could, but he was just too strong. He had me down and was pulling off my clothes when the door flew open and there was Giles." Buffy gave Helen a watery smile. "My tweedy hero."

Buffy blew her nose. "Then that jerk Travers was there and he didn't care about how much my Mom or I were hurt, all he cared about was that Giles had called the police. He fired Giles, saying that his 'father's love' for me had made him betray his employer. Giles told him to kiss off. At first I was scared that Giles would have to go back to England, but after a while, when no letters came telling him that he had to leave, I just forgot about it."

Helen nodded and made some notes on her pad. "Then why did you start avoiding him after the Prom? If that was when you realized that you loved him, I would have thought you would have started trying to attract his attention."

"Well, like I said, Travers had said that Giles loved me like a father, and he didn't deny it, so I thought if I suddenly started coming onto him he would get freaked. I decided that he needed time to see me as a woman, not a substitute daughter. I also thought that he would think I needed time to get over Angel, even though I didn't. So I spent the summer working in my Mom's gallery, learning about art and artifacts. I also read a lot of books about Native American cultures so I would be able to talk with him about his research. I had these incredibly hot dreams about him, about making love with him. I only had the one experience with Angel, so it was mostly imagination, but my imagination turned out to be pretty vivid. I had planned to stay away until the holiday break at school, but I hadn't seen him all summer and one morning a couple of weeks into the quarter, after another dream filled night, I skipped a class and came over to his apartment."

Buffy looked away. "I should have realized that something was going on, cause the door was locked. When I came back, after I ran away, he promised me his door would always be unlocked, so if I needed a place to go I could come to him. Anyway, I knocked and it seemed to take forever for him to open the door and when he did I almost jumped him right then. He looked so sexy standing there in his robe. It was pretty obvious that he had just got out of bed, his hair was all rumpled and it looked like he didn't have anything else on. It was like something out of one of my dreams, except he wasn't happy to see me. In fact, he frowned and started to shut the door, like I was the last person he wanted to talk to."

Buffy scowled. "Then she came down the stairs, wearing one of his shirts. She slinked over and put her arms around him and asked when he was coming back to bed. He didn't even look embarrassed that I had caught him with her." Buffy gave a huff. "How dare he have another woman in his bed, he was mine. I demanded to know what was going on and he got all snarky with me. He told me to grow up, that he wasn't the school librarian anymore and that he had the right to a private life."

Buffy ducked her head, staring at the patio paving. "I don't remember everything I said to him, just that I was trying to hurt him as much as he had hurt me. I do remember that I said he was too old and the thought of him having sex was gross. I ran back to the dorm and cried for a while, then I decided if he could have sex with other people, I could too. There was this guy in one of my classes that had been hitting on me and I went looking for him."

Buff got up, went over to the patio wall and stared over the parking lot. "What I didn't know was that Parker was a total sleaze. He made a game out of seeing how many girls he could get into bed on the first date." She shook her head. "I was an easy target. When I woke up the next morning he had already left his room and when I saw him later he acted like he could hardly remember my name. It was really embarrassing."

"I can imagine it was." Helen said sympathetically.

"I know Parker boasted about his conquest to some guys, cause I saw whispering and smirking while I was walking around campus. I went back to my dorm room, and there was a message from Giles on the answering machine, but I couldn't talk to him. Not after what I had done. He kept calling, and Willow didn't understand why I wouldn't call him back, or go to his place. She knew about Parker, but she didn't know about Olivia. I just couldn't go over there and risk seeing her again."

"After a couple of weeks I thought that I could talk to him without getting all emotional, but I didn't know how to make the first move, so I didn't do anything. It was a couple of months later that the thing with everyone not being able to talk happened. Will's folks were out of town, and so was my Mom, so we went to Giles' and Olivia was there. So, of course, I thought they were living together and that I had lost any chance that I might have had with him. There had been this guy in my Psych class that had been asking me out, but after the mess with Parker I hadn't wanted to risk it. Anyway, when everything was back to normal he asked me out again and I accepted."

"I really feel bad about Riley. He's a nice guy, and we had fun together, but there were no sparks, at least not for me. From things he was saying last night, he thought we had a future."

"Things he said last night?"

"Yeah, he showed up here drunk around 9:30 last night. He just couldn't get why I married Giles. He kept going on and on about Giles being old. I tried to explain, yeah he's older than me, but he's not old. I had to break it to him that I had only been dating him because I thought I couldn't have Giles. He didn't take that too well. We talked to him for over two hours, but I'm not sure we convinced him. It's not like I had promised to marry him or anything. I hadn't even told him I loved him and we had only kissed twice, but he had this whole life already planned for us. He even said that we hadn't had sex yet because he was being a gentleman, cause he had heard about Parker. Like it was only his decision."

"Buffy, you need to understand, this isn't my decision to make either. I give my recommendation to my superiors and they are the ones who will decide. Regardless of what I say, they may choose to not believe that this is a real marriage. They may decide to deport Giles anyway."

"Then I'll just go to England with him. He finally knows I love him, and he says he loves me. We won't be separated again."

Helen, who had been expecting tears, was impressed with Buffy's calm acceptance. She smiled. "You said that Riley had a hard time accepting your marriage, but you haven't said how anyone else has reacted. What about your friends and your Mother."

"Well, Willow was the one who did the research and said that marriage to an American citizen was the only way for Giles to stay here. She knew how I felt about him, cause I told her after she met Olivia…what?"

"What do you mean, what?"

"You started smiling all of a sudden. I didn't say anything funny."

Helen grinned again. "You get this strange look on your face every time you say Olivia's name. Like you had just tasted something sour."

"I don't like her. I will never like her. And I don't like the taste of olives, so I guess maybe I associate the two when I say her name." Buffy grinned ruefully. "Mature much?"

The two laughed together and Buffy continued. "Anyway, like I said it was Willow's idea, but she knew how I felt and she told me this morning that she knew Giles loved me too. She felt that she was just giving us an excuse to do something we wanted but had been afraid to go for. Xander said that he knew how I felt about Giles back in high school, and that by the way Giles acted Saturday he knew he felt the same. Xander said he was happy for us, but didn't want any details. Mom," Buffy paused. "Mom freaked when we first told her, but she came around. She's not happy, but she said she won't interfere." 

"What about your Father? Does he know yet?"

Buffy grimaced. "I called him last night. He went ballistic, but he didn't call back after I hung up and he hasn't called today, so I guess it just shows how much he really cares."

Helen stacked her paper together. "Well, that concludes our interview. I would like to speak with your friends now."

"Do you want me to send them out here, or do you want Giles and me to get lost for a while so you can talk to them in there?" Just as she finished speaking Buffy's eyes got wide. 

Helen turned around to see what Buffy was staring at, and saw an attractive woman coming up the steps from the parking lot.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I just stopped by to see if the man from the INS had been here yet, and if any decisions had been made."

"INS is still here. Mom, this is Ms. Cavanaugh from the INS. Ms. Cavanaugh, this is my Mom, Joyce Summers."

"Mrs. Summers, I was just getting ready to speak with Buffy's friends. If you have the time, perhaps you could join us. If I can interview the three of you together, it could expedite matters."

Joyce gave Buffy a panicky look but said, "Of course, now would be as good a time as any."

Helen turned back towards the apartment and saw Giles standing in the open doorway. "If it's alright with you, I'll just speak to the others here. Since I won't be going into the same depth of information that I did with the two of you, this should only take around an hour, perhaps less. It's up to you if you want to stay here on the patio or go away and come back later." She gathered up her briefcase and the pad of notes and went into the apartment. Joyce shrugged and followed her, giving Giles a gentle shove out the door before she closed it.

Buffy and Giles looked at each other uncertainly. "What do you want to do?" Giles asked.

"I want to go in there and hear what they're saying, but that's not a option. How about we go over to Mom's? We can be comfortable there. Maybe pick up some lunch on the way?"

"How can you want to eat at a time like this?"

"I don't want to eat, but I haven't eaten anything except that toast you made me this morning for the past three days. Slayer metabolism demands fuel. I need to eat." She held out her hand and Giles could see the visible tremors.

Giles took her hand and gently kissed it. "Then eat you shall. Do you have a preference?"

"No, just food."

"Then we shall go to the first drive-through we see and get something to take to your Mother's." Holding hands they went down the steps to his car and drove away. 

Helen, who had been watching through the window, turned back to the others and said, "Let's begin."


	9. Fathers and Watchers and Vampires, Oh My

Helen sat on a stool at the pass through in Rupert Giles' apartment going over her notes while she waited for Buffy and Giles to return. As senior investigator for the INS, she had been given this assignment because her boss had felt that something wasn't right and he trusted her to get to the bottom of things. You see, Helen was the INS's secret weapon. She had a peculiar talent. She always knew when someone was telling her a lie. And this bunch had been telling her lies all day.

Normally that would make the decision easy; deny the appeal and deport the alien. But there was something strange about this case, this group of people. Oh, their stories had been consistent enough, with an acceptable amount of variation due to individual points of view, but the lies themselves were strange.

For instance, if Giles was really writing a book on Native American cultures she would eat it. Oh, she had no doubt that if she asked he could show her notes and reference materials. But really writing a book, no. So why had RCOW Ltd. sent Giles to Sunnydale? Because he had been sent there, it hadn't been his choice to leave his job at the British Museum.

The frequent trips to the hospital explained away as accidents while giving the trio self-defense lessons. He had trained Buffy, that came through as true from all sources, but he hadn't trained the others, so why lie about it? What had really caused the trips to the hospital?

The attacks by the gang that Angel had once belonged to; the truth, and yet not. There had been attacks, people injured and people killed, but not by a gang from LA. Every time Giles had said Angel's name, there had been the slightest hesitation, the tiniest of facial twitches. Almost as though Angel had been the one responsible. But that was crazy. Angel had still been involved in Buffy's life over a year after Jenny's death.

Another point was Zachary Kralic. He had kidnapped Joyce, and had tried to kill Buffy. But he hadn't been the stalker son of a high British official, and he hadn't worked with Giles in the school library. Although, Travers and RCOW Ltd. had been deeply involved in that affair too.

So many lies mixed in with so many truths. Whatever they were trying to hide seemed to revolve around two things: RCOW Ltd, (and by extension Quentin Travers) and Buffy's old boyfriend, Angel.

She had checked on RCOW Ltd. after the first time she had spoken with Quentin Travers, and to her astonishment had found that they were currently sponsoring thirty-two people in the United States. At the time it hadn't raised any alarms, but after what she had heard today,,,,, Something was going on, something the INS needed to investigate further. Technically, Helen was only here to confirm or refute the validity of this marriage, but she couldn't resist a mystery.

Buffy and Giles had given her the perfect excuse to find out more information. In all her years of administering the knowledge quiz to couples, she had never seen such a low score. Nineteen questions with two answers per question for a total of thirty-eight answers. No couple had ever gotten all 38 answers right. When, just for fun, she had taken the quiz with her husband they had missed two, and this was after 25 years of marriage. So, missing a few was to be expected. But Buffy and Giles had only eight matching responses. What had been so amazing was that each had been confident that their answers were right.

This couple truly loved one another; that had come through loud and clear. And although Giles was uncertain of Buffy's feelings, Buffy was aware of his. In any other circumstance, Helen would have given her approval and the matter would be finished, but there was still that mystery. Helen almost hated herself for what she planned to do next.

Almost. 

 

Hank Summers drove down the street, looking for the address where his ex-wife now lived. He was fuming, had been since Buffy had hung up on him last night. Then Joyce had the nerve to hang up on him as well. His evening with his new lover had been ruined, not to mention the business meetings he had needed to cancel to drive down here today. Buffy married. Ridiculous! She was just a little girl. Some boy had obviously taken advantage of her.

His inner musings had taken him past his objective. He turned around, stopping briefly to check the house numbers. As he spotted Joyce's house, he noticed a man and a young woman pulling out of the driveway in a red convertible. When they drove past him he saw that the woman was Buffy. Shock held him immobile for a few seconds, and then he pulled into the nearest driveway, turned around, and followed the other car.

When they turned onto a busier street, Hank let a few cars stay between them. He was thinking about the man driving the car. Man, not boy. He must either be Buffy's new father-in-law, or a friend of Joyce's. He saw the car pull into the left turn lane and followed. The road was momentarily clear, and they went through the intersection. He had to stop for oncoming traffic and cursed steadily under his breath until the turn arrow came on and allowed him to go.

Hank tried to look for the red car, but traffic was busy. He was afraid that he had lost them, until he saw the car making a right turn about three blocks ahead. He followed and saw that it was the parking lot of an apartment complex. He pulled into an empty space, cutting off a van coming from the other direction. Turning off the engine, Hank looked around hoping to see some clue as to where Buffy had gone.

Off to his left, Buffy was climbing a flight of stairs. The man was walking beside her. Hank goggled. They were holding hands. As Hank watched, the couple reached the top of the steps. Buffy said something, the man replied. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. Then Buffy slid her hand around the man's neck and pulled him down for a kiss. 

Stunned, Hank continued to watch as the kiss gained momentum. The man's hands cupped Buffy's butt and lifted. Her legs circled his waist. His hands moved up under her shirt. Hank was beginning to believe that they were going to have sex right there, when a horn sounded from somewhere in the parking lot. Buffy and the man jerked apart then moved across the patio and into the apartment.

Hank sat. He was aware, in a vague way, of things happening around him. Other vehicles entering and exiting the parking lot. People walking down the sidewalk. He couldn't seem to get his mind around what he had just witnessed. His little girl, his Buffy, kissing that man. But, did that mean that the man she was with was who she had married? No. There had to be another explanation. That man was too old to marry his little girl. That must have been another girl, one who looked like Buffy.

He needed to talk to Joyce.

Unaware that Joyce was in the apartment above, Hank switched on the engine, pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to Joyce's house.

 

Quentin Travers shifted uncomfortably in the small seat of the commuter plane. At the time, it had seemed like a logical choice. Take the commuter flight to Sunnydale from LAX and rent the car there, saving himself the long drive. But this day had been one problem after another.

After he had received Rupert's phone call, he had called the airport to have the Council's Lear readied to take him to Los Angeles, but found that it was down for maintenance. The engines had been disassembled and it would take at least two days for them to be re-installed. He had called the Council's travel department to get him on the first available fight to LAX. It was with a deep sense of shock that he listened to the woman tell him that all flights from London were booked. The only way he could get to LA was via New York or Chicago.

He hadn't been able to get comfortable on the flight to New York, even though he was in first class. Then he had missed his connection because of delays in customs. He was informed that if he wanted to fly first class, he would have to wait until a later flight, the next available flight had space in coach only. He had taken it, and had been appalled to find he was seated next to a woman with a baby. 

Five hours of fussing and crying had put him on edge, only to find that, once again, he had missed a connection. The first of two flights to Sunnydale had left mere minutes before his arrival at the gate. He had to wait three hours for the next one. At that point he had almost rented a car and driven himself, but Quentin was a practical man. He had had very little sleep in the past 30 plus hours and was afraid his concentration would slip in the busy Los Angles area traffic. Best to stay with the original plan and take the commuter flight.

He glanced at his watch. Another twenty minutes before he could stretch his legs. He only hoped that his automobile reservation was still valid. Quentin scowled. This trip had better be worth all of the inconvenience he had endured. He planned to bring Rupert Giles back to England with him today.

 

Driving past the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign, Cordelia said, for at the least the fifth time, "I don't see why we had to drive down here. So they got married, big deal. Ewww, cause Giles is old, but that's her problem."

From the back of the van, well out of direct sunlight, Angel said, "That's the point. Buffy and Giles would never get married. He's too old for her. They must be under some kind of spell."

"And anything that could affect the Slayer to that extent is dangerous," Wesley added. "They obviously need our help." He continued to leaf through the pages of one of the books he had brought along.

"But why did I have to come?" Cordelia whined.

"Because it's daylight," Angel said in a tone that implied 'duh'.

Cordy glared at him in the rearview mirror. "No kidding, Sherlock. What I meant was, couldn't you have waited until dark and driven yourself?"

"Waiting until dark might be too late. We should have come down right after we got the news last night, but we had to wait until we could rent a van. And no, you didn't have to come; Wes could have driven me. Give it up, Cordy, you know you're as curious as the rest of us."

Cordelia just hunched her shoulders and continued to drive in silence. Although it had been a little over a year, she remembered the way to Giles' apartment and found it without asking directions of Angel or Wes. Pulling in, she headed for a parking space, but was cut off by a car coming down the aisle from the other direction. 

"Well, that was rude." 

"That's okay, there's one a little closer to the steps, less distance for me to travel." Angel pointed to the space. Cordy pulled into the spot and turned off the engine. They were directly at the bottom of the steps.

"Look, there's Buffy and Giles" Cordy said, pointing to the couple standing at the top.

As they watched, Giles took Buffy's hand and kissed the palm. Buffy slid her hand around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. In shocked silence the three in the van watched Giles cup Buffy's butt and lift her up. Her legs circled his waist. His hands moved up under her shirt.

Cordelia heard a kind of hiss; the sound someone makes when they are in pain. She turned sharply in her seat to look at Angel. Her elbow bumped the horn and at the sound the pair on the patio pulled apart. Her attention on Angel, out of the corner of her eye Cordy saw Buffy and Giles cross the patio and enter the apartment. 

"Well," Wesley began slowly, "that was strange."

"Yeah," Cordy added. "I would say that was definite weirdness. Did you see how Giles was dressed? He looked hot. I would never have thought that Giles could look that good. You guys are right, has to be a spell. We better get in there and help them."

"No," Angel frowned. "We need to check this out first. See who might be doing this." He thought for a few seconds. "Willie knows what's going down with the demon population in Sunnydale." Angel turned to Cordelia. "Head for Willie's bar."

Cordelia looked at him searchingly, then nodded. She turned back around and started the van. "Give me the directions." She left the parking lot and drove towards the west side of Sunnydale.


	10. Storm Front Coming

Buffy woke up, momentarily disoriented. She blinked, and memory returned. Living room, Mom's house, couch. Gotcha. She glanced across the room to see Rupert asleep in his chair. Poor baby, the last few days had been hard on him too. As she sat up and stretched her eyes passed over the clock on the mantel, then returned with a rush.

1:30!

They had been there over two hours. Mom and the others must be wondering where they were. She stood and saw a note on the coffee table. It read:

We came looking for you and saw you sleeping. We'll be waiting at Rupert's whenever you wake up.

Mom

Buffy smiled. She walked across the room and sat on the arm of the chair. "Giles," she said softly. No response. She leaned forward and breathed "Rupert" against his ear. His head turned before she could pull back and her lips brushed his cheek. 

Sleepy green eyes blinked at her and he pulled her into his lap. "Hello," he murmured and pressed his lips to hers. Like a match to dry kindling, passion flared between them.

'His mouth should be declared a lethal weapon' was her last thought for several minutes. Giles released her mouth to trail hot kisses down her neck. He nuzzled the spot where her neck met her shoulder, then gave it a gentle nip. Buffy shuddered and moaned. Giles stiffened against her. There was a sensation of movement and when Buffy could focus again, she was alone in the chair.

Across the room Giles leaned heavily against the fireplace mantel. He ran a hand through his hair, took a deep breath and tried to collect his raging emotions. Not looking at Buffy he began, "I apologize. I was asleep and I, I," he faltered, unable to complete the sentence.

Buffy started at him bewilderment. Things were just getting good. What was he doing over there? His tense posture and stammered sentence sank through her haze. He was embarrassed. But why?

After a few moments Giles was able to continue. "I promised you that I wouldn't do anything to upset you. I didn't mean to grab you like that. It won't happen again." He remained turned away, eyes averted.

Understanding came crashing through. He didn't know she wanted him too, and thought she was disgusted. Boy, it was going to take a lot to make up for that 'old and gross' thing. 

Buffy left the chair and crossed to where he was standing. She slipped under the arm braced against the mantel and pressed her face against his chest. Her arms encircled him, tightening when he tried to pull away. "Slayer here. You didn't do anything I didn't want."

Giles froze for a moment, then again tried to pull away. 'Can't have that', she thought. She tightened her arms a little more and, raising up on her toes, she bit the same spot on his neck. Buffy felt his body tremble, then heard him moan "Buffy, please." She felt his hand slide into her hair, then her head was jerked back and his lips once again plundered hers.

Long, hot, moments later Giles pulled away and lifted her into his arms. He glanced around the room. Buffy ran a hand under his shirt and kept pressing urgent kisses against his neck. "Second door on the right at the top of the stairs," she murmured. Giles crossed the room swiftly, and had one foot on the bottom step, when he stopped.

Buffy kissed under his chin and gave his Adam's apple a lick. "No, stairs hard. Bed soft. Keep going."

Giles lowered his face to her hair and tightened his hold. Then he heaved a deep sigh and set her on her feet. "We can't."

Frustrated, Buffy glared at him. "I want, you want, we're married, why can't we?"

"We've been gone too long. Someone might come looking for us."

"They already did. Mom left a note, said they would wait for us at your place." She grabbed his hand and started tugging him up the stairs.

He resisted, pulling his hand back. "They might change their minds." Buffy started to speak, but he cut her off. "Our first time is not going to be rushed. I want to have the time to worship you properly." 

Giles gave her his best 'Ripper' grin. "It's a good thing you've had a nap, because you won't be getting any sleep tonight."

Buffy's eyes glazed over at the mental pictures his words evoked. It was her turn to draw a deep breath. "Then why are we still here? Let's get back there and kick everyone out so you can start depriving me of my sleep." She rushed past him and stood waiting impatiently at the front door.

Giles chuckled and opened the door, waving her ahead.

The drive to Giles' apartment passed in comfortable silence, Buffy's hand resting over his on the gearshift. Still holding hands, they climbed the steps to the apartment. "Buffy," Giles said softly, "You need to know, this isn't just wanting." They stopped at the top of the steps. "I love you." He lifted her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to the palm.

Buffy smiled tremulously. "I know. I love you too, Rupert." She slid her hand around and pulled him down for a kiss. Buffy felt his body jerk in response to her use of his given name, his arms tightening around her almost convulsively. Their lips met hungrily. 'It just keeps getting better,' Buffy thought, then the world disappeared leaving only the two of them.

The sudden blare of a car horn reminded them that not only were they not alone in the world, but they were standing in view of most of the apartment complex at 2:00 in the afternoon. Giles' hands were caressing her back under her shirt. Buffy's legs were clenched around Giles' waist and her hands were buried in his hair. Looking deep into his eyes, Buffy gave a tiny wriggle against his hot length. Giles shuddered and gave an almost audible moan. 

Giles put his hands on Buffy's waist, pushing her away. She relaxed her legs, sliding to the ground. They stared hotly at one another. In unison they said, "Later", and turned to enter the apartment.

 

Inside the apartment, Joyce and Helen sat talking in low tones. Willow and Xander stood talking near the window. Willow saw Buffy and Giles coming up the stairs, but something kept her from saying anything to draw the attention of the two women. She nudged Xander just as the pair halted and Giles kissed Buffy's palm. The two stared wide-eyed at what happened next. Willow murmured, "I thought she was going to wait until later to carpe Giles."

Xander gave a soft chuckle, "It looks like she isn't the only one who's planning to carpe someone tonight."

When Buffy and Giles drew apart at the sound of the horn, Willow and Xander moved away from the window and Willow said, "Here they come now."

Helen moved over to the pass through and picked up her papers. She drew a deep breath and turned around just as Buffy and Giles entered the apartment. "Please, sit down. I've finished my preliminary interviews and I'm ready to give you my initial findings." She gave the pair a serious look. "This is just the first assessment. You can challenge it, if you choose to."

Buffy and Giles looked at each other in alarm, and Buffy grabbed his hand.

Helen paused and looked down at her papers. Damn, was she really going to do this? Yes, they were hiding something. Something more than just a marriage to avoid deportation. She had to try to find out what was going on here.

"The interviews themselves were quite satisfactory. If that were all that I needed to go by, I would have no trouble approving your martial status." She held up her hand to keep Buffy from speaking. "I am instructed to use two types of information, we discussed this in the beginning of your interviews. I'm sorry, but you failed the life knowledge portion of the interview. I cannot give my supervisor my approval." Everyone stared at her, stunned. Buffy's eyes filled with tears. Giles scowled.

"What do you mean, we failed the life knowledge portion? Did we miss a couple of questions? How can you expect people to know all of those things about a new spouse?"

Helen moved forward and handed Buffy and Giles each a sheet of paper. "We don't expect couples to get all of the answers correct, but I have been giving this quiz to couples for 15 years, and you two had the lowest score I have seen. Nineteen questions, with two responses per question for a total of 38 responses. The two of you matched only eight responses."

Giles stared at her in disbelief. "That's not possible." He gazed in bewilderment at the paper in his hand.

Giles eyes caught the first difference. "Dorothy? What the bloody hell kind of nickname is Dorothy? Your name is Buffy; that should be a nickname. Where did Dorothy come from?"

Joyce inserted. "It was because of her ice skating." At Giles' look of incomprehension she continued. "Dorothy Hamill the Olympic ice skater?" Giles nodded.

Buffy was beginning to get over her initial shock, and was also reading the list. "What's with the 'RB'? The only nickname you ever told me about was Ripper." She looked further down. "Coconut?" she exclaimed. Buffy looked at him in outrage. "You think I smell like coconut?"

"What I said was that the scent was tropical, and it reminded me mostly of coconut. I think it's quite nice."

"Coconut," Buffy muttered.

"You eat cereal? I've only ever seen you eat toast."

"That's because I eat the cereal before I come over since the only thing you ever offer me is toast. And I didn't remember the name of that stuff you eat. Weetabix? I've never seen it in the store, where do you buy it."

"I get it from a specialty store. It's from England. If you didn't remember the name you should have just told her that instead of guessing wrong." Giles looked up in amazement from the next answer. "Earl Grey? I haven't drank that brand since before the school blew up."

Buffy hunched her shoulder and turned partially away. "Toy sword. I should have known that one." Beside her Giles drew in a sharp breath and she flinched.

"Buffy!" Now Giles' voice was filled with outrage. "Interview with a bloody Vampire is your favorite book? How can you?"

Helen observed the others also staring at Buffy in shock. What was it about that book that upset them so much?

Buffy blushed. "I think it's a good story. I like the character of Louis."

"Louis," Giles growled. "Brown hair, brown eyes, constantly brooding over his fate. Sound like anyone we know?"

Buffy glanced over at Helen then gave Giles a warning look. "I just like the story, okay? It doesn’t remind me of anyone." She turned her attention back to the list. She glared at Giles. "What is this about Passions? How can you have a favorite TV show when you don't have a TV?"

Giles flushed, turned away and mumbled something. "I didn't hear that. What did you just say?" Buffy demanded.

"I said I have a bloody television. Passions is a good show. The writing is quite intelligent."

"Oh, please, no soap opera has intelligent writing. Besides, I don't see a TV set. Where is it?"

"I keep it in the closet." Giles muttered sullenly. His eyes tracked down the page. He paled. "Oh, dear lord."

Buffy scanned the page, frowning. "What? Thelma and Louise is Mom's favorite movie, not mine." She blushed a little. "That's a movie from the 70's. It's not really explicit, not by today's standards. It has this actor that kinka looks like you…."she broke off when Giles moaned. He flushed bright red and groaned, "Oh, dear lord" again. 

Buffy looked at him in shock. "It's you? It IS you! Rupert Giles, you started in a porno movie? How could you?"

"It was not a porno movie," Giles began defensively. "It was an art film of a classic novel." He drew himself up. "I don't bloody have to defend myself over something I did before you were bloody born." He stood and stormed over to the fireplace. "Bay City Rollers? Buffy that was a joke! I wouldn't be caught dead listening to them."

"How was I supposed to know it was a joke? You were always taking about how great they were."

"Always?" Giles shrieked. "One time. One bloody time when you insisted on playing that mind destroying noise you called music for your aerobics." There were a few moments of tense silence. Giles continued in a calmer voice. "Sorry, I had forgotten about Pike, but how did you know about Sara?" Giles looked up from the page.

"You told me about Sara, after Angelus killed Jenny. Don't you remember?" 

Giles gazed at her, lost in thought. In a far away voice he said, "After the fire."

Buffy nodded as she looked at the next question. Her eyes widened. She got up and went to take the page from Giles' hand. "There's no need to finish going over these. We get the picture."

Giles halted her with a look. In a dangerous voice he growled, "Who the bloody hell is Parker?"

Buffy blushed, then stared at him defiantly. "Parker was a jerk I had sex with the night I saw you and Olivia together. Jerk. One night. End of story."

Giles stepped over to her and cupped her cheek in his palm, caressing her lips with his thumb. "I'm sorry, luv."

Buffy nuzzled his palm. "No, I'm sorry. It was just, she was so beautiful. I thought I had lost you."

He smiled gently. "Never."

Buffy glanced down at the last few answers. "Your wedding ring is your favorite piece of jewelry? Really?"

"I am proud to proclaim to the world that I belong to you." He looked back at the page, then up to her. "What about the cross that Angel gave you?"

"Giles, I haven't worn that since Graduation."

"And since I have hardly seen you since then, I hadn't noticed." Giles turned back to Helen. "Most of these are trivial details. Knowledge that isn't really necessary to a loving relationship, regardless of what you people think. We plan to challenge your findings." He pulled Buffy into his arms.

Before Helen could respond, a voice interrupted.

"Get your damn hands off my daughter, you pervert!"

Everyone whirled to face the doorway. A man stood there. His face was red, his eyes blazing with anger, and his hands were clenched into fists. 

Buffy stared at him in shock. "Daddy?"


	11. Thunder Rolls, Lightening Strikes

Joyce moved from her chair, placing herself between Hank and the others. "Hank, what are you doing here?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? I’m here to save my daughter from the biggest mistake of her life. This, this, this person," Hank waved towards Giles, "is taking advantage of a naïve child for his own twisted pleasures. He’s used the fact that I’ve been a somewhat inattentive father to lure her into his clutches."

"Twisted pleasures, lured me into your clutches? What movies has he been going to lately?" Buffy murmured to Giles.

Joyce’s voice rose in indignation. "Somewhat inattentive? You have made no effort to see her in three years and you call that somewhat inattentive? I’d like to know what you call negligent." 

 

Helen backed cautiously towards the bookcase. If she got out of everyone’s line of sight, they might forget that she was here. It was a handy trick, one that she had used before, and her intuition was telling her that Hank Summers wasn’t going to be the only party crasher. This might be her best chance to find out what was really going on in Sunnydale.

 

"This is what I call negligent," Hank said. "Since you wouldn’t talk to me when I called you at home, I called the gallery this morning. Your assistant said that you were out of the country buying things for the shop. That you had been out of the country for the past two weeks. She told me you’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately. Obviously you’ve been too busy running your business to care about your daughter, leaving Buffy alone and easy prey for men like him." Hank scowled at Giles again then turned his wrath back on Joyce.

"I told the judge that you were an unfit mother, that Buffy would be better off with me. But, no, he had to be one of those liberal judges that felt Buffy should have a say in what parent she stayed with. And this, this is the result." He waved his hand in a theatrical manner at Giles.

Buffy’s eyes flashed angrily and she stalked towards Hank. "Don’t you talk to Mom like that. You don’t have the right."

Hank grabbed Buffy’s arm. "You go sit in the car, young lady. I’ll be finished here in a few minutes, then I’m taking you home."

 

From her corner, Helen watched in amazement at the transformation that came over Rupert Giles. ‘Hello, Ripper’ she thought to herself.

 

"Take your hand off my wife," Giles said, in a voice that was all the more chilling for it’s softness.

Remarkably, Hank didn’t seem to recognize the threat in Giles’ voice. He blinked, irritated at the fact that his grand speech had been interrupted. "What?" he asked blankly.

Taking two swift strides, Giles grabbed Hank’s wrist and applied pressure. "I said, take your hand off my wife." Hank grimaced and let go of Buffy. Giles drew Buffy against him and gently examined her arm. "Are you alright, luv?"

 

Buffy’s back was to her father, but Helen had a clear view. Buffy rolled her eyes and smirked up at Giles. ‘What’s that about?’ Helen thought. 

 

Hank drew himself up indignantly. "I would never hurt Buffy. I only want what’s best for her, and that isn’t marriage to a man old enough to be her father. I suppose that I must accept some of the blame for this situation, but that means that I will be the one to set things right. I’m going to petition the court for an annulment. Under the circumstances, I’m sure the judge will agree with me, even if Buffy is 18 years old and technically an adult."

A chorus of voices exclaimed, "What!?" Then Buffy continued in a voice made of ice. "I’m 19, Daddy. Just because you didn’t show up for any of them doesn’t mean my last three birthdays didn’t happen."

Hank frowned. "You were born in 1982."

Joyce looked at him in disbelief. "1981, Hank. Buffy was born January 22, 1981." She shook her head. "And you think that I’m an unfit parent."

Hank stared at her for a moment, then shook his head. "It doesn’t matter. She’s still too young for him. I’m taking her home with me until this mess is straightened out." He again grabbed Buffy’s arm, pulling her away from Giles. Hank turned towards the doorway, but was stopped abruptly by Giles’ hand spinning him around. Hank never saw the punch coming. He staggered backward out the door, arms cartwheeling wildly, then landed on his butt on the patio. The door slammed shut.

Hank blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. Standing over him was a man dressed in brown tweed. Tweed in California? Hank shook his head, but the man was still standing there. The man extended a hand.

"Mr. Summers, my name is Quentin Travers and I am Rupert Giles’ employer. I believe if we work together we can each achieve our goals."

Hank stood up, rubbing his jaw. "I want that bastard away from my daughter. What does that have to do with you?"

"I want the same thing. Mr. Giles can’t carry out his job properly if a young wife is distracting him. I want to take him back to England with me this afternoon. You want to take your daughter back to Los Angeles with you. If with work together, I believe we can accomplish both." He again extended his hand.

Hank took it and the men shook hands. They turned to the door, but before they could knock, it was opened.

A furious Buffy stood in the doorway. "Get lost, Travers. You’re not welcome here."

"Buffy!" Hank exclaimed. "That’s no way to speak to a stranger."

"You seem to have selective hearing." Giles said sarcastically from behind her. "I would think the fact that Buffy knows his name would be a clue that he’s not a stranger."

"Yeah," Buffy drawled, "it’s kinda hard to forget a person who tried to have you killed."

Hank yelped, "What!"

"Ah, Miss Summers, you still have that delightful sense of humor, I see."

Giles moved closer behind Buffy. "The name is Mrs. Giles, Quentin, I would suggest that you remember that." His voice was even and deadly, as was the stare he gave the other man.

"Not for long, Rupert, not for long. The Council is not without resources here in the States. With the cooperation of Mrs. Giles'" he sneered, " Father I doubt that it will take long to have this farce of a marriage annulled." He looked around the patio.

"Are you going to keep me standing out here all day. Let's go in and talk about this in a civilized manner."

"Civilized," Buffy huffed. "You just threatened us and you talk about being civilized."

"That was not a threat, dear girl, if I wanted to threaten you there are a great many others things I could threaten you with. Beginning with the fact the Rupert has broken his oath. A Watcher is never to become intimately involved with his Slayer." He gave Giles a stern look. "Are you going to let us in?"

Buffy and Giles continued to stand blocking the doorway. 

There was a sudden rush, and a tall figure covered in a black cloak pushed between the two men heading for the door. Angel stopped when he hit an invisible barrier. Wesley and Cordelia had been following and they pushed Buffy and Giles out of the way to enter. Hank and Quentin gaped in astonishment at the sight of the smoldering figure in front of them. 

"Giles, invite me in! Hurry!" More smoke was rolling off Angel and he looked franticly at Buffy. "Buffy, please!"

Giles continued to stare stone-faced at the vampire outside his door. He looked down at Buffy. She lifted a hand and caressed his cheek. "Your choice."

Giles drew a deep breath, put his arm around Buffy and pulled her away from the door. "Angel, do come in."

Angel rushed in and Cordy went to check him out. Quentin and Hank followed cautiously. "Just what we needed," Xander said. "If it wasn't bad enough that Buffy's Dad and that jerk Travers are all buddy-buddy, Dead boy and Watcher junior show up too."

"It's a pleasure to see you as well, Xander" Wesley said. "I would have thought you would be happy to have some help, under the circumstances." 

Willow and Xander looked at each other, puzzled. Willow shrugged, Xander shrugged back, and Willow asked, "What circumstances?"

It was Angel and Wesley's turned to exchange glances. Before either one of them could speak, Cordelia said, "Have you been affected by the spell too?"

"Again, not knowing what you're talking about. Spell? What makes you think that someone has been affected by a spell?"

"Well, duh. Buffy and Giles getting married? Has to be a spell at work." Cordelia rolled her eyes.

"Right," Angel added. "Buffy loves me, she always had and always will. It's our destiny."

"And Giles would never break the most sacred taboo of the Council by marrying his Slayer." Wesley added.

"I don't bloody believe this!" Giles looked up as though beseeching heaven. He returned his stare to Travers. "I am not Buffy's Watcher. I have not been a member of the Watcher's Council for over a year. You fired me, remember? So I have not broken any bloody oaths." He turned to Wesley. "Since you seem to believe what you’re saying, you’ve obviously not read any of the older Watcher’s diary’s. Marriage between a Watcher and his Slayer used to be commonplace. It’s only been within the last hundred years that it has been forbidden by the Council." He glared at the two men. "There is no spell. I am just a man. A man who is in love with a woman. So sod off."

Travers frowned at him. "She is not a woman, she is the Slayer. I don’t care what happened in the past. In the here and now the Slayer does not get married. It’s been bad enough that you’ve encouraged her with this nonsense about having a normal life: dating, attending college and so forth. It’s just a waste of her time, time she should be using training and sleeping so she can perform her duties during the nighttime hours. And while you are not officially her Watcher, we all know that you have continued in that capacity since your dismissal."

He turned to Buffy. "As for you, Miss Summers, this little show of independence has gone on long enough. It is your sacred duty to guard the Hellmouth. Everyone here knows you only married Rupert to try to halt his deportation. Well, it won’t work. I have the INS in my hip pocket. When their investigator arrives he will agree with me, and Rupert will return with me to England this very day." Travers gave a pompous little nod of his head to emphasis his point.

At the mention of an INS investigator, Willow, Xander and Joyce got identical looks of horror on their faces and they all looked around for Helen. Buffy and Giles were too caught up in the argument with Travers to notice. When Joyce started to speak, Helen shook her head and put a finger to her lips to indicate silence.

"You can take your sacred duty and shove it. I don’t do this because of any sacred duty. I do it to protect my Mom, my friends and Giles." Buffy got up in Travers face. "And I’ll tell you right now, you old prick, if Giles has to leave the country you had better find a way to bring Faith out of her coma, cause I’m going with him."

Travers got a panicked look on his face. "No, your duty is here. You are the Slayer and you must guard the Hellmouth until you….." his voice trailed off.

"Until I die? Been there, done that. We’re only talking now because Giles didn’t follow the rules and let me have a normal life. It was one of the friends that you would have forbidden me to have that did CPR and brought me back after the Master killed me. I figure that was my ‘get out of Slaying free’ card. I’ve just been hanging on cause it was the right thing to do, but you start messing with the man I love, and you’re on your own."

Buffy turned to Angel. "It’s our destiny? Listen, our destiny is for me to dust you. You Vampire, Me Slayer, ring any bells?" She walked over and caressed his face. "Angel, you were my first love, and you’ll always have a place in my heart, but you told me to move on and I have. I grew up and I finally had the sense to see who has been right in front of me all along. My true destiny, the other half of my soul. Giles."

Angel smiled sadly. "I knew he loved you, I saw it in his eyes the night of the Prom, but I never dreamed that you would feel the same way. You really love him? It’s not a spell?"

Buffy smiled back at him. "No spell. Real love."

Angel leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "He’s the only person I know who’s worthy of you. Be happy."

"Does that mean that Buffy and Giles are gong to be getting all groiny?" Cordelia made a face. "Ewww."

In unison Wesley and Angel said, "Shut up, Cordy."

Travers, who had been staring silently at Angel, said in a horrified voice, "Angel? You welcomed Angel into your flat? Are you mad? Angelus could kill us all."

Cordelia spun around and grabbed Travers’ lapels. "His name is ANGEL. He’s not Angelus anymore and he doesn’t kill people. He only kills other vampires and demons." She pushed him away. "Although maybe he should make an exception in your case. Buffy’s right, you’re an old prick."

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!"

Silence fell over the room and everyone turned to look at a very red-faced Hank Summers. "Is everyone in this town crazy? There are no such things as vampires, and my daughter is certainly not a slayer, whatever the hell that is. And what was that part about her dying? I was never informed that she had ever been in any kind of accident." He turned back to Joyce. "This is all your fault! You brought her to this town. You should have stayed in Los Angeles as I asked, but no, you wanted to be independent" he ranted on, but Buffy tuned him out.

"Angel," she said quietly.

He nodded and walked over in front of Buffy’s father. "Excuse me, Mr. Summers" he said, cutting into the tirade. When Hank stopped to look at him, Angel vamped into game face.

Hank shrieked, turned white, and fell to the floor unconscious. Angel turned around to Buffy and there were a few seconds before he changed back. 

Helen got a good look at his face and felt a little light-headed herself. Then Angel switched back and gave Buffy a sheepish smile. "I know it’s a little juvenile, but I do enjoy doing that to someone who’s being a jerk." Everyone, except Travers and Helen, laughed.

Helen’s view of the world was undergoing a rapid change. Without her gift, her ability to KNOW when someone was lying, she would have agreed with Hank Summers. Everything she had just heard sounded crazy. Vampires were real? There was one in the room with her? The others didn’t seem to be worried, so, a good guy vampire? A vampire named Angel? What the hell kind of name was Angel for a vampire?

Wait a minute, the life knowledge quiz. The name of Buffy’s first lover had been Angel. And she had just said that he was her first love. He was that Angel? Buffy’s first lover had been a vampire? Helen looked closer at Angel and remembered Giles’ remarks, ‘Brown hair, brown eyes, constantly brooding over his fate. Sound like anyone we know?’

Helen started laughing. The others, who had either forgotten her presence, or had never noticed, stared at her. Their startled expressions made her laugh harder. Looking at Giles, she finally managed to gasp "Now I understand why you were so upset that ‘Interview With a Vampire’ is her favorite book."

Buffy started giggling and Giles muttered, "Dear lord, I forgot she was here."

"Who is this, someone else that you have taken into your confidence?" Travers looked at Helen with disapproval.

"No, actually she didn’t know anything until you started talking about Watchers and Slayers." Giles huffed.

Helen stepped forward, extending her hand to Travers. "Helen Cavanaugh, senior investigator for the INS." She looked Travers over. "Contrary to what you said a few minutes ago, I’ve never been in anyone’s hip pocket, and certainly not in yours."

Travers paled, then flushed a most unbecoming red. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he was able to speak. "I was speaking metaphorically. I never intended to imply…"

"Oh, you most assuredly intended to imply that you had bribed a government official. That you had bribed me." Helen said sternly. "You were planning to bluff Dr. Giles into leaving with you today. You were so sure that I would rule against him, that it was just a matter of time before he would be forced to leave America. There's just one thing wrong with your assumption. I'm not ruling against them."

Several gasps filled the room. Helen turned to face Buffy and Giles.

"I've heard a great deal here today, most of it lies. From what I heard a few minutes ago, I can understand why you felt I wouldn't believe the truth. I do believe that my letter precipitated your marriage; that is pretty obvious. It's also pretty obvious that you love one another, and that given time, the marriage would have taken place anyway." 

Buffy gave a little cry and flew across the room to envelop Helen in a bruising hug. Giles frowned. "Earlier you said that because we had so few answers in common that you couldn't give your approval. Have you changed your mind, and how can we be sure that you won't change it back? Or that your supervisor won't counter your decision?"

Buffy released her just as quickly, and backed next to Giles. He put his arm around her and the pair looked at Helen distrustfully.

Helen ducked her head, her cheeks pink. "Ah, right. About that." After a small pause, Helen looked back at them. "I was being cruel, I know, but so much of what you told me was truth mixed in with plausible sounding lies. I thought if you were upset enough, maybe you would let something slip and I could find out what was really going on." 

She grinned. "Although, it was true that your quiz score was the lowest I've ever seen. Even if one of the ones you got right was the most intimate of the bunch."

Willow asked, "Which question was that?"

"What type of underwear does the other wear?" Helen smirked.

Cordelia looked interested. "Really, Buffy knew that? I've always wondered if Giles was a boxers or briefs guy. Which is it?"

In unison, Buffy and Joyce said, "Neither." Mother and daughter looked at each other, startled. Joyce shrugged and said, "Candy." Buffy nodded. "Grappling during training."

Giles moaned and hid his face behind his hands. "Bloody hell."

Everyone in the room looked at Giles. Cordelia said, "You mean all those times in the library….. and right now…..Ewww."

This time Buffy joined Wesley and Angel in saying, "Shut up, Cordy."

In a stunned voice, Xander said, "Giles and Mrs. Summers did the horizontal hop? And you're okay with that, Buffy?"

"It was only the two times, Xander, and it was because of the spell on the candy. They could hardly stand to look at each other for months after that. It's of the past. It's no big."

"Twice?" Xander yelped.

"Now see, this is the kind of thing I would like to have explained." Helen said. "Spells on candy? Sacred duty? Buffy needing CPR? Who is Faith and why is she in a coma? And the real big ones: what exactly are Watchers and Slayers and how did you get to be ones?"

Before anyone could answer, there was a loud groan, and Hank sat up. "What happened?" Everyone stared at him. He wrinkled his forehead in confusion, then scowled. "What the hell was that?" He looked at Angel with suspicion.

"That, Mr. Summers, was a vampire in what we call game face. It is the face of the demon that inhabits the body. If Angel did not have his soul, that would be the last thing you would have seen before he drained you of your blood." Wesley's voice was a dispassionate monotone.

Giles, who appeared to have regained his composure, began, "Contrary to popular belief, the world did not begin as a paradise."

There were groans from Xander, Willow and Buffy. "Please," Xander begged, "not the speech."

Giles glared at him. "Buffy, dear heart, the more interruptions, the longer it will be until later."

Buffy blushed. "Okay, everybody shut up and let Giles tell it. You can ask your questions when he finishes. Where do you think you're going?" This last was to Travers who was headed for the door.

"There is no need for me to remain. My flight leaves in a little over an hour, so I'm going to the airport." Travers glared at Giles. "This isn't over, Rupert." He opened the door, but halted when Helen spoke.

"You are correct, Mr. Travers. This isn't over, not for you. My supervisor has complete trust in my rulings and he will believe me when I tell him that Buffy and Giles are a love match. He will also believe me when I tell him that the dealings of RCOW Ltd. need deeper investigation. Expect a phone call from the INS in the near future." Helen met his gaze, until he nodded briefly and continued out the door.

There was a moment of relieved silence, then Giles said, "This will take some time, everyone should make themselves comfortable. Is anyone interested in something cold to drink? We have lemonade, ice tea or bottled water." As people rustled around finding places to sit, a few requested drinks. Buffy followed him into the kitchen to help.

Giles turned from the refrigerator with the pitcher of ice tea in his hands. Buffy took it from him, sat it on the counter, and then pulled him into her arms. His arms circled her as well and they stood for a few seconds. Buffy started trembling. Giles swayed, rocking her gently, whispering softly, "It’s alright, it's alright."

Buffy pulled back slightly and looked at him with tear bright eyes. "You don't have to leave. I'm not going to lose you." She pulled him down for a kiss.

"Um, guys. Guys." Giles became aware of Willow hissing from the doorway. "We're still waiting for our drinks." He and Buffy pulled apart.

Buffy giggled. "I'm on the counter again."

Giles leaned forward and whispered against her ear. "We need to try this when we know we won't be interrupted. It could be very interesting." He backed away and turned to the cupboard for glasses.

Buffy sat for a moment; stunned at the mental image his words brought to mind. Then she jumped down and helped him carry the trays of drinks out to the living room.

After the drinks had been handed out Giles took up position in front of the fireplace. He cleaned his glasses while he collected his thoughts. It was so reminiscent of the old library that Buffy, Xander and Willow exchanged grins. He glared at them briefly, then began.

"This world is older than any of you know. For untold eons demons walked the Earth and made it their home. In time they lost control to mortals. All that remains of the old ones are vestiges, certain magicks, certain creatures…"

Xander and Willow exchanged grins again. He did so love this part, no matter how much they teased him.

 

Two hours later most of the group stood on the patio and watched as Hank Summers drove away. He wasn’t happy. Even with Wesley, Angel and the others backing up what he said, Giles wasn’t sure that they had convinced Hank of the truth. Everything was so alien to his personal view of reality. In fact, Giles was reasonably sure that the thing that had bothered Hank the most was that Buffy was stronger than he was. Hank needed for Buffy to see him as perfect. He couldn’t comprehend that she loved him, as he was, a normal, flawed, human being. Giles shook his head. Hank’s loss.

Giles turned around to view the others. Joyce, Willow and Cordelia were chatting in one corner, while Xander, Wesley and Helen were standing near the door. Just inside the flat Giles could see Angel speaking seriously with Buffy. Buffy broke into a big smile and threw her arms around Angel, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Giles had a moment of doubt. Did she still love Angel?

Buffy left Angel and joined Giles on the patio. She put an arm around his waist. "Angel just gave us a wedding present. He said he’ll send us something else later on, but that this was something he was sure we could use now."

Giles raised a brow in inquiry. 

"He’s going to stay in town until next Sunday and patrol for me." Buffy leaned up to whisper in his ear. "I get to spend six nights in bed, or wherever, with you, without interruptions. Isn’t that a thoughtful gift?" She gave his earlobe a nip.

Giles shuddered and closed his eyes. He drew a couple of deep breaths then said, "Yes, a very thoughtful gift." He opened his eyes to see everyone smiling at him. He glared back.

Helen cleared her throat to hide a chuckle. "Well, it’s getting late. We should be on the road."

"We?"

"Wesley is riding with me and Cordelia is staying here to drive Angel back on Sunday."

Wesley chimed in. "Today made me realized that I am uncertain as to my green card status since my dismissal from the Council. Helen and I are going to discuss my case and my options on the drive. Gunn and I shouldn’t have any problems handling the office for a week."

Helen looked at Giles seriously. "I meant what I said. My official determination is that you and Buffy have a valid marriage and since you are now married to an American citizen, you no longer need a green card. I will send you a letter for your files in the next couple of days." She gave them a big smile. "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Giles."

Buffy gave her a hug. "Thank you." She looked over at Cordelia with a little frown. "You’re going to stay at the mansion with Angel?"

Cordelia gave a little snort. "As if. I wouldn’t be caught dead in that musty old place. I’m staying with your Mom. Angel is too. If I let him stay at the mansion he’ll just turn into broody guy and be impossible on the drive home."

Buffy looked over at her Mom. Joyce shrugged. "I’ve got all that art work coming into the gallery in the next couple of days so I’m not going to be home all that much anyway. The drapes are heavy enough that he won’t have a problem."

"Thanks, Mom."

The next few minutes were a confusion of people gathering up belongings and leaving. Each had given Buffy a kiss and Giles a hug on their way out the door. Soon it was just Willow and Xander lingering for a moment. 

With one last hug Willow said, "Have fun." When Buffy and Giles both gave a nervous giggle, she turned red. "Oh, you know what I mean." She stomped out the door and half way across the patio, then turned back. "Aren’t you going to walk me home, Xander?"

Xander walked over to Willow then turned back. He gave Buffy and Giles a wicked smile. "Now, you kids don’t do anything I wouldn’t do." He and Willow started laughing as they hurried away.

As Giles was closing the door he remarked, "With all the things that I have heard that he and Anya have done, that won’t limit us very much."

Buffy giggled. "Do you suppose that they’ve tried out Xander’s kitchen counter?"

Giles pulled her into his arms. "I wouldn’t be at all surprised." He smiled down at her, his eyes hungry. "Alone at last, Mrs. Giles?"

Buffy looped her arms around his neck, looking at him with equal hunger. "Alone at last."


	12. This Love, This Heart

Giles pulled her closer, lowering his mouth to hers. He was puzzled when Buffy suddenly burrowed her face against his chest. "Buffy? Love, what’s wrong?"

She mumbled something indistinct into his shirt.

"Dear heart, I can’t hear you. What is it?"

Buffy pulled back, but didn’t look up at him. "It’s just hit me that this is really going to happen. We’re alone and no one is going to interrupt. The other times it was just supposed to be a kiss, and then, Wow. But now, it’s really going to happen and it’s going to be on purpose and we’re really planning to do this and…"

Giles gave a little bewildered huff of laughter. "Buffy, you’re babbling." He cupped her face and lifted it so that their eyes met. He was surprised to see the same panic-stricken look that he had seen at their wedding. "Beloved?" he asked gently.

Buffy blushed and her eyes avoided his. "I’m scared."

"You’re afraid?" He frowned briefly, then his hands dropped away from her face. "You’re afraid of me?" He started to turn away, pain clear on his face.

"NO! Not of you." Buffy embraced him fiercely. "Of this, of myself. That I won’t know what to do to please you." She let him go and turned away. 

"I’ve had two experiences, and both of them weren’t that great. I mean, Angel was gentle and cared about not hurting me, at first, but the next day was all grr arrg and it kinda ruined the good parts. As for Parker," she huffed "the phrase, ‘Wham, bam, thank you ma’am’ could have been invented for him. He seemed to be having a good time, but I didn’t get anything out of it." She made a helpless little gesture with her hands.

"You have so much more experience. You’ve made love to a supermodel. You’ve been to orgies. How can I compare to that?"

"Oh, Love." Giles put his arms around her. "You can’t compare, because there is no comparison. I’ve never made love to a supermodel." When Buffy started to turn and look at him, he stopped her. "I had sex with a supermodel. It was good sex, but just sex, a very important difference. As for the orgies, I was usually so high on magic and drugs that all I cared about was my own satisfaction. My partner didn’t enter into the equation."

Giles released her and this time he was the one turning away. "Buffy, there is something you need to know about that time. As I said, the magic and the drugs were a pretty heavy combination and I didn’t use a lot of discrimination when it came to my partners. I, I,…." He couldn’t finish his sentence.

"Had sex with men, with Ethan? I already figured that one out."

Giles looked at her incredulously. "How?"

"Eyghon. Willow looked up the information and found that he was usually summoned for orgies, and you told me that there were six in your group, five guys and Deirdre. Do the math." 

"Well it wasn’t always just Deirdre, other women were there at times, but you’re not disgusted by that?"

"Giles, like you said a while ago, you don’t have to justify something you did before I was born. That was a different time, and you were a different person. All indications are you are strictly about women now."

He smiled. "No, I’m strictly about you. No one else, man or woman." He held out his arms to her and she nestled against him. "I’m nervous about this too. I’ve made love with one other woman in my life, the rest were just about sex." He frowned slightly. "I’m not sure that came out right. It makes me sound like that Parker prat. What I meant to say was that even when I cared about the satisfaction of my partners, my heart wasn’t involved."

"Who was the other woman you made love with?"

"My first love, Sara. We were both virgins, so we learned together. And over the years I have discovered this one truth. The first time with a person is like the very first time all over again. For all my experiences, I have no knowledge of what you like. I need to learn what pleases you, just as you need to learn what pleases me. So, we learn together. That’s why I didn’t want our first time to be at your mother’s house this afternoon. Some part of both of us would have been listening for the door to open. We wouldn’t have been able to relax and take our time discovering each other."

Giles leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You need to relax a little more before we begin anything serious. Why don’t you go take a nice hot bubble bath?"

"What?"

"Go take a bubble bath. It will help you to relax. I’ll fix us a little something to eat." He turned her towards the bathroom and gave her a gentle shove. "Go on." He headed for the kitchen. He turned back briefly. "Don’t forget to put some of that coconut scent in it." He grinned.

"Giles! It’s vanilla." She flounced into the bathroom, giggling.

 

A few minutes later Buffy sank into the tub of blissfully hot water. The bathroom was filled with her special scent. She leaned against the back and discovered the even by stretching her legs she couldn’t touch the other end. Ah, the pleasures of a big tub. She closed her eyes and let the heat melt away her tension.

Buffy’s eyes shot open and she sat up when the door opened. She saw Giles look down and realized that her breasts were exposed. She blushed and slipped back down in the tub. "Giles!" Her gaze slid over him. He was standing in the doorway wearing a knee-length, white, terry-cloth bathrobe and he was carrying a tray in his hands. He walked over to the tub and sat down beside it.

"I thought we could have our snack while you relaxed. Save a little time." On the tray was a plate of cheese cubes and fruit. There were also two wineglasses with what appeared to be champagne. 

Buffy giggled a little nervously. "Finger foods? Giles, soapy fingers." She held up her wet hands.

"That’s all right, I’ll feed you, just lean back and relax. What would you like first, cheese or fruit?"

"What are my choices?" She leaned back again, mesmerized by the love in his eyes.

"We have two kinds of cheese, cheddar or swiss. For the fruit, we have grapes, strawberries, and slices of apple, peach or pear."

"Swiss cheese sounds nice."

Giles took a cube of cheese from the plate. When she opened her mouth, he gently placed the cheese inside, brushing her lips with his fingers before he withdrew his hand. "What next?"

Buffy chewed for a moment, swallowed, and said "How about a grape?"

The pattern was repeated for several minutes, the atmosphere between the pair growing more heated. When Buffy bit into a strawberry, juice ran down the side of her mouth. Giles leaned forward and licked it off. Buffy drew in a breath and moved her mouth in search of his, but he had pulled back.

"Tease," she accused in a husky voice.

Giles gave her a satisfied grin and held the glass of champagne to her lips. She sipped, running her hand up his arm and tugging on the sleeve of the robe. "What is this?"

Giles gave her a puzzled look. "It's my robe."

"What happened to the Hef robe?"

"The what?"

"The robe you were wearing the day I caught you with Olivia. It looked like something Hugh Hefner would wear."

Giles chuckled. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think that maybe he had. Liv gave it to me on one of her visits. She said she got it at the Playboy mansion during a photo shoot. I never asked, I just assumed it had been a prop that she was allowed to keep. I only wear it when she visits. It's not really my style."

"So you won't mind if I ask you to throw it away?"

"I would rather give it back to Liv. Maybe she would like to give it to someone else."

Buffy seemed to consider this. "That's okay, just as long as it's gone." She blushed. "I know that it's childish, but I don't want you wearing something that came from another woman. At least, not from another woman that I've met." She pressed a kiss into his palm. "Sorry, I'm just possessive. You're mine and I don't like to share."

"That's all right, I don't like to share either. The Slayer may belong to the world, but Buffy is mine."  
He smiled, selected another piece of fruit, this time a slice of peach, and lifted it to her lips.

Buffy bit into it and juice squirted out onto her chin. Instead of leaning forward as he had before, Giles sat and watched. Buffy started to wipe it off, but he grabbed her hand to stop her. The liquid ran down her neck, the coolness tickling her. It pooled in the hollow of her neck, then continued down between her breasts. 

This time when Giles leaned forward, Buffy met him halfway. They exchanged a brief, peach flavored kiss, and then he moved to lick her chin clean. She arched her neck, giving him better access to the trail. He paused to thoroughly clean the hollow, then followed the juice down. One hand slid behind Buffy's back to lift her slightly. His mouth settled over the peak of a breast, then there was an odd sputtering sound.  
Buffy opened her eyes to see Giles making a face. He grinned. "Soap."

"Well, you were the one who decided to seduce me in a bubble bath."

"Is it working?"

"It's working beautifully." She pulled his mouth back to hers, finding even the taste of soap acceptable when accompanied by his tongue. The kiss intensified and Buffy pulled him closer. Unfortunately, he was on his knees beside the tub, and one arm was behind her under the water. When she slipped slightly against the back of the tub she grabbed him, pulling him further off balance. Giles fell into the tub on top of her.

There was a large splash, and they pulled apart to look at each other in amazement. Giles started giggling. "Some seduction."

Buffy grinned and again tugged at the sleeve of the robe. "Aren’t you a little overdressed to be in here with me?"

"I do believe I am. However, since I think you are relaxed enough, perhaps we should both get out?" He gave her a questioning look.

Buffy leaned forward and kissed the end of his nose. "This has been fun, and you’re right, I’m much more relaxed. I think I’m ready to discover more of you now."

Desire flared in Giles’ eyes and he covered her mouth in another heated kiss. Before things got out of control he pulled back, breathing heavily. Holding her gaze, Giles stood in the tub and casually removed his robe, letting it fall into the water.

Buffy’s gaze swept over him, her eyes widening at his obvious arousal. As she watched, it grew more. "Wow," she said, impressed.

At the dazed look on her face, Giles chuckled and stepped out of the tub. Unconcerned by her stare, he leisurely dried himself, then tucked the towel around his waist. Taking another towel from the rack, he leaned over the tub and held out his hand.

Buffy blinked at him for a few seconds, then blushing slightly she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. Her blush deepened as his gaze slowly traveled over her. "So beautiful," he whispered, and steadied her as she stepped onto the bathmat.

The look of love in his eyes melted the last of her nervousness away and she stood quietly as he dried her off, then tucked the towel around her. He lifted her into his arms. "Are you ready for the next step, Mrs. Giles?"

She looped her arms around his neck, and laid her head on his shoulder. "Ready, Mr. Giles."

Giles walked across the living room and up the steps to the loft. Buffy slid a hand around and tugged gently on the hoop in his ear. "I can’t believe that I never noticed that you had a pierced ear. Then when I did see it, I didn’t really see it because of the way you were acting. Seeing you smoking, drinking and kissing my Mom made a much bigger impact. You were so cute that night."

Giles made a face. "Cute? You thought Ripper was cute? How strange."

"But you weren’t really Ripper that night, not from other things you’ve told me about that part of your life. There were just parts of Ripper there. Actually, you were more like Xander."

Giles got a horrified look on his face and he put her abruptly on her feet at the top of the stairs. "Xander? You thought I was acting like Xander? And you thought it was cute? Buffy!"

"Well, just in the horny, trying to impress me by being manly, way like Xander was at first. Except that you were all horny for my Mom." She gave him a wicked grin. "I had my first really hot dream about you that night. I dreamed that you were all over me, and I really liked it. Freaked me out when I woke up. I think that’s why I did so well on my SAT’s, I used them to keep the dream out of my mind."

Giles stared, speechless, then he started laughing again. He picked her up and swung her around. "Shall I tell you a secret? I dreamed about you that night too, that you were the one with me on the police car. It disturbed me as well because I hadn’t let myself acknowledge my feelings for you yet." He threw her on the bed and followed her down.

Buffy giggled breathlessly. "I know it’s silly, but right now I have this line from a song running through my head."

Giles gave her a mock scowl. "We’re about to make love for the first time and all you can think of is a song? Obviously I need to try harder at keeping your attention." He pulled her towel open, and leaning down, blew a raspberry on her stomach.

"Rupert," she shrieked, "that tickles."

Giles froze, then Buffy felt the tip of his tongue touch her stomach. He slowly licked up between her breasts, then lifted his head to give her a smoldering look. He leaned back down, and like a cat at a bowl of cream, gave the tip of each breast a swipe. Buffy shuddered and moaned.

Giles looked back at her, eyes still hot. "Still thinking of that song?" 

Buffy looked dazed, then she blinked and grinned. "As a matter of fact, I am." She started giggling again at the look on his face. "Just a minute, let me explain. When I was little Mom used to play this album a lot and there was this one song that she and Dad would giggle about. I didn’t understand, but I do now." She looped her arms over his neck again.

"I don’t remember the name of the album, or the name of the song, but the group was Fleetwood Mac. There were two lines at the end of the song that they would sing over and over." Buffy softly sang, "’You make lovin’ fun, it’s all I want to do.’ That’s all I’ve been able to think for the last hour. You've made this so much fun, so natural. I had no idea I could feel like this."

Giles smiled. "It’s all right if you think of that song. I was afraid it was that Olivia Newton John song." At Buffy’s puzzled look he continued. "You know, ‘Let’s Get Physical’?" They both started laughing again. Giles rolled onto his back, pulling Buffy on top on him. 

"I promised you some discovery time. " He flung his arms wide, stretching like a big cat on the bed. "Discover away."

Buffy sat up astride his lap. The towel that was still wrapped around his waist separated the heat and size of him from her. She gave a little wriggle. 

"Christ, Buffy," he moaned and grabbed her hips. He started to lift her off. "Maybe we should get the towel out of the way."

Using her Slayer strength for the first time, Buffy grabbed his wrists, and leaning forward pinned his arms beside his head on the bed. "Not just yet. I think if the towel was gone, I wouldn’t get my discovery time." She kissed the tip of his nose and gave another wriggle.

Giles growled and twisted his wrists free, sliding his hands up her torso to cup her breasts. Staring deep into her eyes, he flexed his hands, the calluses in his palms brushing her nipples. Buffy moaned. "Discover fast," he rasped in a husky voice.

Buffy nodded, drew a deep breath, then mimicked his actions. She swept her hands up his torso, lingering for a moment on his stomach. "You're in good shape, but then you did train me, so I guess it's to be expected." She blazed a trail up his sides, finally brushing her fingertips over his nipples. Giles made a sound, a kind of growling purr, and arched into her hands. Her fingers combed through the hair on his chest, feeling the play of muscle under the skin. She stopped. She could also feel scars. Her eyes met his. "Rupert?"

"No, dear heart." When she began to speak, he put his fingers over her lips. "Yes, we will talk about it, but not today. Today is only for love and joy."

Buffy nodded and kissed his fingers. "Love and joy." She leaned over and kissed him. Before the kiss deepened very much, Buffy giggled.

Giles pulled back. "I know I said today was about joy, but I didn't think my kisses were a source of amusement."

"I can still taste the soap."

Giles just growled again, and pulled her back down. This time there was no interruption, no stopping. Mouths met and tongues tasted, trying to become one with the other. Time ceased to exist. 

Giles paused, cradled between her thighs, wanting her full attention before taking the final step. Buffy ran her hands down his back, caressing his hip. "What happened to the towel?"

"You ripped it off and threw it over the railing. Buffy, are you absolute sure? If you have any doubts, we can wait."

Buffy looked down at his body. "Only you would be gentleman enough to give a girl an out at a time like this." She grabbed his ass and tugged. "I love you, Rupert." He groaned and surged forward, joining them. They lay still for a moment, savoring this first time of togetherness, and then Giles propped himself up on his elbows and started moving.

Thanks to all the foreplay, it wasn't long before Buffy experienced the first orgasm of her life. Giles stopped moving, waiting for her to come down. She blinked up at him and gasped, "No wonder Anya wants to do that all the time. How soon can we do it again?"

Giles laughed and thrust sharply, causing her to catch her breath. "Love, we’re just getting started."

 

Meanwhile, in the Holiday Inn across town, a familiar figure entered room 410.

Ethan Rayne closed the door and leaned back against it, dizzy. What the hell was going on here? He had been pulled to Sunnydale like iron to a magnet.

There he had been in his flat, minding his own business, when he had had the irresistible urge to fly to Las Vegas. When he had gotten there, the urge had died, and he had thought that Chaos had a chore for him to do there, so he waited. He had spent a couple of enjoyable days fleecing some of the casinos, then this morning he had awoke with the feeling that he had to get to Sunnydale.

He had immediately called a travel agent and had been shocked to find that all direct flights were booked. That left two ways to get there, rent a car and drive, or fly to L.A. and drive from there. And again, things had seemed to be conspiring against him. There were no flights that would get him into L.A. before 2 o'clock in the afternoon. He decided to drive, only to be told that the only cars available were compacts or mini vans, neither of which he would be caught dead in. Chaos seemed to be sending him a clear message. 'I want you in Sunnydale, but only after you go to LAX in the afternoon.' As soon as he had confirmed his reservations, the urgency had abated. He had shrugged and gone back to the casino for a few more hours.

He was nearly at the car rental counter at LAX when he had the close encounter with Quentin Travers. Not that Travers had noticed him. The mood Travers was in Ethan would have had to step directly in his path for him to have noticed, and even then it wouldn't have been a sure thing. Anger and chaos had swirled around him so thickly that, to Ethan, it had been visible. Of course, that had made it even more imperative to get to Sunnydale. If Travers was upset, it had to be something to do with the Slayer. And that meant Ripper was involved. He had gotten on the road as soon as possible.

Half way to Sunnydale, the car had started to act up. Ethan had tried using magic to keep it going, but to no avail. He had pulled into a rest area and called the service number. They promised to have a replacement car to him within the hour. Ethan had paced restlessly, not sure of what to do. The urge to go to Sunnydale seemed to have quieted again, but his own unease made him want to get back on the road. He sat down at one of the picnic tables.

A car pulled up and two people got out: a short middle-aged woman, and a tall young man. Ethan looked at the couple with scant interest, until he heard the man speak. "I'm going to get me a soda, would you like one as well?" The voice was English. The woman replied, "Thank you, Wesley. Pepsi if they have it. I'll just be a minute." The woman wasn't English. The air seemed to twinkle around the woman, but Ethan couldn't sense that she had any magical abilities.

The woman walked back, took the soda from Wesley, and stretched. "I appreciate that you didn't care if I stopped. I know it's not that long a drive from Sunnydale, but for some reason I felt the need to get out and stretch. It has been a long and emotional day."

"For both of us. I've hardly had any sleep since Willow called last night. Angel carried on and on all night about Buffy and Giles and how we had to get to Sunnydale. Neither Cordelia nor I were able to calm him down." The pair got back in the car and drove off.

Ethan sat there in shock. His delay had been necessary so that he would hear that conversation, but that only made him more anxious than ever to get to Sunnydale. That woman had served Chaos, even if she hadn't known that she had. The energies that had been gifted to her were obvious to those who could see. What was going on? A car followed by a tow truck pulled up behind his rental. A few minutes later he was on his way.

As soon as he crossed the city limits into Sunnydale, he had been buffeted by chaotic energy. He had stopped at the magic shop in town to buy some supplies, only to find it closed and for sale. He had checked into the hotel, hanging onto the desk to keep from falling down. When the clerk had asked if he needed help, he had told her that he needed herbs for homeopathic medicine and found, to his amazement, that she was a herbalist who grew her own. She promised to bring him what he needed in a couple of hours. He lay down on the bed.

He had never felt the forces of chaos concentrated so densely in one place before. What the hell had Ripper and his Slayer done? His dizziness seemed to ease a bit, and he decided to try a simple spell, one that might answer a few of his questions. Ethan propped himself up with the pillows. He concentrated on the mirror above the dresser across the room, and said the viewing spell. The reflection of the hotel room disappeared, and Ethan found himself looking at a woman's naked back.

He blinked, surprised, and mentally went over the spell. Had he made an error? This was supposed to show him where Ripper was. The woman sat up, and Ethan saw Ripper. He was lying on a bed, and the woman was moving on top of him. Ripper was shagging someone. A pretty, young, someone, with long blonde hair. A very limber someone, from the way she was moving. Ethan watched with semi-detached interest. So Ripper was getting shagged? So, what? What did that have to do with the inflow of chaotic energy to Sunnydale?

The woman climaxed, her head thrown back, and for a moment Ethan got a glimpse of her face. He sat up, a wide smile on his face. Ripper was shagging his Slayer! No wonder Travers had been enveloped in such a black cloud. Since he had fired Rupert, he had no control over what they did. How marvelous! The girl collapsed on Ripper's chest, and he smoothed a hand down her back, soothing her. Ethan's eyes narrowed.

What was that?

He waited for Ripper's hand to move over her back again, but he had buried it under her hair to pull her face to his for a kiss. Move your hand, damnit. Instead, Ripper rolled over. She may have been finished, but he wasn't. 'That's my boy', Ethan thought. He settled back on the pillows to watch. 

One small, very small, part of him thought that perhaps he should end the spell and give the couple their privacy, but on the other hand, they didn't know they were being watched, so what was the harm? His interest wasn't prurient, it really wasn’t. He had seen Ripper in action on many occasions. He was simply observing his technique. Like that move, very interesting. The Slayer wasn't the only one who was limber. Was that the end? Yes, the action seemed to be over for now, Ripper had collapsed on her this time. In a replay of before, her hand now smoothed down his back. Ethan was surprised to see the gold band on the Slayer's left hand.

No. Not possible. 

Ripper rolled again, placing the girl on his chest while he pulled a sheet over them.

And there it was. A gold band on his left hand as well.

Married?

Ethan waved his hand and released the spell on the mirror. He stared at himself in shock. Ripper had married his Slayer. Very well, that explains the chaotic energy of Sunnydale. This was a major disruption of Council business, and about damn time. But, why was he here? Maybe he had just been sent here to witness what he had just seen. Lord knows that if he had been told that Ripper married his Slayer he wouldn't have believed it. Ethan tried to stand, and fell back onto the bed as a wave of dizziness swept over him.

All right, that wasn't it. He was needed here for some reason. As soon as that girl brought his herbs he would pin point magical energies in Sunnydale and see why Chaos wanted him here. Ethan smiled. Ripper married his Slayer. He reached over to the mini fridge and took out one of the little bottles of rum. Opening the bottle he lifted it in a toast. "Here's to you old friend. I wish you joy."


	13. Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Just past noon on Thursday, Buffy and Giles arrived back at their apartment. As they walked up the stairs Buffy said, "I think it’s the perfect answer. You’ll be your own boss, so you won’t have to explain things to anyone like we always had to do with Snyder. Plus, that back room is exactly the kind of space we need for training."

"Indeed. Having access to ingredients for castings is also a plus. By having direct contact with the suppliers we won’t need to make up reasons as to why we need some of the more esoteric ingredients."

Reaching the top of the stairs, Giles stopped and Buffy felt him stiffen. A voice floated across the patio. "Hello, Ripper." Sitting in one of the chairs, his face set in a mocking smile, was Ethan Rayne.

"What are you doing here, Ethan?"

"Here, as in Sunnydale, or here, meaning at your flat?"

"Don’t play the fool, Ethan. What are you doing here?"

"I came to Sunnydale at the command of Chaos. When I heard the good news, I knew it would be a while before I could get in touch with you. I put a little spell on your front door so I would know when you left." Ethan stood. "We need to talk, Rupert. Something has to be done to keep that little witch of yours from destroying the world."

 

Friday, 4:00 p.m.

Willow and Tara stood outside the Magic Box, looking at the closed sign. Tara asked, "Are you sure she said meet her here? The store has been closed for almost a month."

"The message on my answering machine said to meet outside the Magic Box at 4 o'clock. Either she didn't know the shop was closed, or she just….." Willow's voice trailed off when the door opened.

"Hey, guys. Right on time. Come in." Buffy stood in the doorway, smiling brightly. The two girls entered, and Buffy closed the door behind them, locking it. Looking around, Tara saw that Xander and Anya were there as well.

"Rupert bought it this morning. Pretty neat, huh? There is a huge back room that is perfect for training, plus instant access to all the magic supplies we could ever need."

Willow looked around. "Yeah, this is great. What gave you the idea to buy it?"

"Well, Giles has been bored, what with nothing to do since the school blew up, but he had that green card problem. Since that's not an issue any more, we were talking the other night about what kind of job he might be interested in doing. It kept coming back to the slayage and how do you explain to a boss that you couldn't come to work because you had been up all night researching the end of the world. I remembered you telling me that this place was for sale, and we came to look at it yesterday. We talked it over and agreed that it was just what we needed, so Giles had money transferred from his bank in England and bought it this morning. A couple of weeks to inventory everything and make a few changes, then we open for business."

"Buffy, that's great. We'll have a place we can hang out and help with the research, just like at the library." Willow looked around again. "I know that Giles said he had money, but I never would have guessed that he had enough to buy something like this."

Buffy giggled. "I don't know about before, but he does now."

"How?"

Xander and Anya crossed the room. "I can hear a story behind that laugh. Spill."

Buffy walked over to the sales desk and hopped up on it. She waved to the table and the others sat down. "It would seem that Wesley had a lot to say to our Ms. Cavanaugh on the drive back to LA Monday. Instead of calling Quentin to grill him about the Council, she flew to London and talked to the Board of Directors."

"Board of Directors? I though that Travers was in charge of the Council."

Giles' voice came from behind them. He emerged from the back room. "Most people, including Quentin himself, forgot that he is just the public face of the Council, that the Board is really in charge. He gave them status reports, and they had always gone along with his recommendations, so he tended to forget that he was answerable to them. Everything was going along smoothly until Buffy became the Slayer."

"What difference did that make?"

"An untrained Slayer was an affront to Quentin's notion of how things should be, so he did everything he could to decrease her chances of survival. First Merrick, a retired Watcher was sent to help her, then me."

"What did he think was wrong with you? You were a good Watcher. You kept Buffy alive through a lot of hard times." Willow was angry.

"Due to my rebellious past I was not his picture of an ideal Watcher. He thought we would fail, whereas what he considered our weaknesses were really our strengths."

"We know all this," Xander said impatiently, "what does it have to do with you being able to buy the Magic Box?"

"Ms. Cavanaugh talked to the Board of Directors, and they found out that Quentin had been lying to them for the past year and a half."

"How?"

"When Quentin made me perform the Cruciamentum, he was acting on his own. I was told that the Board had banned it over a hundred years ago. The reason neither I nor the other Watchers knew this fact, was that Buffy was the first Slayer since it had been banned to live to the age of 18."

There was a stunned silence. Willow recovered first. "So, since you weren't supposed to give her the test, then he didn't have the right to fire you for helping her?"

"Exactly."

"Then how did he explain sending Wesley here?"

"Wesley was officially sent to be Faith's new Watcher."

"That's right, he didn't show up until after she was here."

"Okay, Travers was a bad boy and lied to the Board. Magic Box?"

"He never told the Board that he fired me and consequently Wesley as well."

Everyone looked puzzled while they thought it though. Xander understood the implications first. "He embezzled money from the Council?"

Giles nodded. "My salary for the past year and a half, Wesley's for the past year, as well as a salary the Council had authorized for Buffy when she passed the age of 18. He has been falsifying reports from both of us. The Council was not aware of the Mayor's Ascension attempt, nor that Faith had gone rogue and was currently in hospital in a coma. They also didn't know that Wesley was working with Angel."

Xander gave a low whistle, shaking his head. "How did he think he was going to get away with all that?"

"We had gotten so accustomed to Quentin being the voice of the Council, that neither Wesley nor I thought to challenge his rulings. Plus, he didn’t expect Buffy to live as long as she has." Giles walked over and put his arm around Buffy. "I am most grateful that he was wrong." He and Buffy exchanged a brief kiss.

"He had also expected that by withdrawing his support, I would be deported immediately. He didn't take into account a government bureaucracy delaying the matter." Giles paused. 

"How did you find out all this?"

"We received a call yesterday morning."

"Early, yesterday morning." Buffy cut in. "I was not happy with the interruption."

"Buffy," Giles hissed.

"What? You weren’t happy either." Buffy laughed. "You should have heard him, I didn’t know Giles knew those kinds of words."

Anya nodded. "Being interrupted makes Xander cranky too. His vocabulary can be quite impressive, like when you called a little while ago he said," 

Xander quickly put his hand over her mouth. "They’re not interested, honey, just drop it."

"Anyway," Buffy broke in, "the Board found out that Quentin had been stealing them blind, and fired him. They all got on the speaker phone and apologized to Giles and me for the things Quentin had done and transferred the money that we never got from the Council bank to Giles’ bank yesterday. We talked about what to do with it, and I remembered this place was for sale. We looked at it and, presto, Giles is the new owner of the Magic Box."

"That’s really neat," Willow said, "but I think that Travers deserved more than just getting fired. He should go to jail."

Buffy and Giles exchanged a look. "As a matter of fact," Giles said, "the Board did more. As punishment, Quentin was transported to another dimension, and his family was stricken from the Council rolls. None of his descendants will ever be allowed to become Watchers."

"Sent to another dimension? You mean like a Hell dimension?" Even Xander looked appalled. 

"No, not that bad. The dimension has no known demons and no vampires, but it’s culture is approximately 200 years behind ours. It has none of the modern conveniences that Quentin is accustomed to: no running water, no electricity, no communication system, no mass transportation, only basic medical services. He has been banished there for two years."

"Wow, that was harsh." Willow looked troubled. "I don’t like him, and I agree that he should be punished, but that does seem a little too much. What if something bad happened to him and he died there?"

"The Board wasn’t entirely heartless, Willow. If he is in mortal peril, he has an emergency switch he can activate to bring him back. But, it must be a true emergency, or they will return him and add another year to his sentence." 

Tara asked, "What did they say about you being married."

Buffy gave Giles a sideways glance and he turned red. "At first they blustered and said they wouldn’t allow it, that we had to get a divorce. Ripper made an appearance and told them in no uncertain terms what they could do to themselves. They weren’t happy, but they backed down."

"Buffy failed to mention what she said she would do if they tried to separate us. Leaving the Hellmouth unguarded was the least of it. I think they were more worried about her actions than anything I threatened."

The others laughed, but Buffy and Giles exchanged a troubled look. They had been watching, and since she had entered the store, Willow had been fidgeting slightly. Buffy nodded and jumped down, going into the back room. Giles cleared his throat.

"Willow, remember on Sunday night when I looked at your aura? I have received some more information on what might be the problem. Would you be willing to allow me to try an experiment?"

Willow opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no speech came out. Tara looked at her in alarm. "Willow?" she questioned and touched her shoulder. Willow gasped and nodded her head rapidly. "Giles, help."

Giles raised his left hand. "Contineo," he intoned. A ball of green fire shot from his hand and enveloped Willow. 

A change came over Willow, and Tara backed away in horror. Willow’s eyes turned black, as did her hair. She started speaking, growling really, in a strange language. Her body struggled wildly against the green shell surrounding her.

"Confuto" Giles commanded. Willow continued to struggle, but was now silent. He watched sadly, then said, "Dormio," and shot another ball of green fire. She slumped against the table, seemingly unconscious. He turned to Tara. "She’s just asleep. I don’t know how long this will hold; we need to prepare for the next step. Will you help us?" He moved his gaze to Anya and Xander. "Will all of you help us?" The three nodded.

"Buffy," he called, "Is everything ready?"

Buffy appeared in the doorway. "Ready."

Giles approached Willow, hesitated for a moment, then bent as if to lift her into his arms.

"Let me."

Giles turned to see Ethan standing behind Buffy. He walked over to Giles. "You are emotionally attached to her, the demon may try to bleed through the containment and use that. She is nothing to me, it won’t have anything to grab onto."

Giles looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. Ethan picked Willow up and carried her into the back room. The others followed. They saw Ethan place Willow in the center of a pentagram that had been drawn on the floor. He backed away, bending to draw the last line of the design. "Contineo," he said, and the pentagram flared to life, it’s lines glowing green.

Looking closer, Tara saw that at each point of the pentagram was a smaller pentagram, also with one line unfinished. Giles went to the spot at the head of the pentagram.

"Willow has been infected with the spirit of a demon from another dimension. The how's and why's we will go into after this is finished. Ethan, being the strongest person here who is not emotionally involved, will do the banishment. The rest of us will be anchors for Willow's spirit, to keep it grounded to this dimensional plane and to her body." 

Giles held out his hand. "Tara, you should be here at the front, where she can see you. Unfortunately, this will also put you in the greatest danger. Ethan and I have done what we can to minimize this danger, but it is there. Can you do this?"

Tara swallowed nervously and nodded. She walked over to Giles. "We hope that this will not take very long. The demon doesn't have a very strong hold over Willow as yet. However, you should be as comfortable as possible. If you will sit in the center of this circle, I will close the pentagram around you and set the wards." Giles looked at Buffy, Xander and Anya. 

"You need to each sit in one of the other circles. Buffy, here on my left and Xander, you and Anya take the two at the back. I will be in the one opposite Buffy."

Tara sat down, and Giles drew the last line. "Contineo." The lines flared green, the ward was set. As he went to do the same for Buffy, Ethan was setting the wards for Xander and Anya. Ethan warded Giles last. He moved to stand behind Tara.

"When I begin this, the spirit, knowing it is under attack, will awaken. At first it will use Willow's voice to try to convince you that I am hurting her, that there is no need for what we are doing. Under no circumstance must you look in her eyes. The spirit will use all of the power at Willow's disposal to influence you. Quite frankly, we're not sure the wards around her will contain it, but in the event they don't, the wards around you should provide some protection."

Ethan moved next to Tara. "I am quite serious. Whatever happens, don't look into her eyes. It will be hard, especially when she starts to cry and beg for your help, but keep your eyes closed or look down at the floor. Above all remember this, nothing that I will do will hurt Willow. The spirit may hurt her in an effort to get you to help, but this is the only way to save Willow's life."

Ethan's gaze moved from Tara to Buffy to Xander. "I know that in the past I have given you cause to distrust me, but I give you my word, I will do nothing to directly cause harm to Willow. Rupert has gone over this with me and is satisfied that it should work. Are you ready for me to begin?"

The others all nodded, and lowered their heads to focus their eyes on the ground. Ethan smiled briefly. They looked like they were praying. Not a bad idea at all. Ethan again stood behind Tara. "Concentrate all your thoughts on your feelings for Willow, how much you care about her, and how much you want her back to normal. Say it aloud if you wish, it will not distract me. Just don't look up."

Tara felt the power in the room growing. This man was almost as strong as Mr. Giles was. She wished he was the one doing the spell, but understood why he wasn't. Ethan started to speak in a language that Tara had never heard before. In her peripheral vision she saw Willow stand up. 

"Tara, help me. Ethan is an evil man; he tried to kill Buffy once. He's going to hurt me. Tara, please! Tara!" Willow screamed.

Tara closed her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her face. She put her hands over her ears to try to shut out the sound. "I love you, Willow. I love you." She murmured it over and over like a mantra. 

The thing with Willow's voice called out to all of them, pleading for help, screaming and cry that she was in pain, that Ethan was killing her. It continued for what seemed an eternity, but was in reality less than 10 minutes. Then it changed tactics, and the demon spoke directly to Ethan in it's own language. 

After another few minutes, Ethan shouted, "Bipartitus!" It roared back. Ethan answered, then said, "Carpo!"

There was a moment of silence, then a thud as Willow's body hit the floor. Ethan said, "Ablegatio, ablegatio!" He fell to his knees behind Tara. She felt his hand brush against the ward. "It's over. Expedio," he rasped. Tara turned, gasping when she saw Ethan's face. He was white and drawn, appearing at least ten years older than when this all began. He brushed away one of the lines of Tara's pentagram. "Release the others," he said, falling the rest of the way to the floor, unconscious.

Tara hurried around and released Giles first. He went to Buffy while Tara went to Xander and Anya. Buffy knelt to check on Ethan while Giles removed Willow's body from the pentagram and carried her across to a sofa on the far wall. He checked Willow over and turned to tell the others. "Separating the demon's spirit from hers took a lot of her energy. She'll probably need to sleep most of the weekend, but she'll be all right. Her pulse is strong, and her aura is clear. She's our Willow again."

Tara sat beside Willow on the sofa and placed a hand on her head. She turned back to Giles and smiled. "The darkness is gone. I didn't realize it before, but now that it's no longer there I can see that it had been a part of her since we met. What was it?"

"It was the spirit of a Budjuri demon. It's home is a Hell dimension." They all turned to where Ethan was being helped up by Buffy. 

"But how did it get here and why did it pick on Willow?"

Giles brought a chair in from the other room for Ethan. "As best we can tell, it was when Willow cast the spell to restore Angel's soul."

"But she was using good magic," Xander protested. "How could something bad come from that?"

"Magic is neither good nor bad. Magic is just energy. It is how the person uses it that becomes good or bad. Most people cannot manipulate the energy known as magic. Some can to a lesser degree, and others, such as Ethan, Willow, and myself can do more. You are born with the ability to manipulate this power; it is not something you learn. What you must learn is how to use it correctly."

"When Willow did the restoration spell, she was like, to use an analogy, a sprinter who attempted to run a marathon. All her training was no good because it was based in the wrong running discipline. She was able to do the spell, but it caused a backlash because she hadn't yet been trained to handle that much energy. Buffy said that the spell took effect after Angelus had opened Alcaltha. The spirit of the Budjuri must have slipped through the portal and followed the trail of energy back to its source, Willow. She passed out from the backlash, and the Budjuri entered her aura."

"Buffy closed the portal before all of the Budjuri's energy could come through, so it lay dormant. Since Willow didn't do any magic for a long time after that, it couldn't gain strength. It wasn't until Willow started college, broke up with Oz, met Tara, and began to cast spells again, that it could start to take her over. Last week she became very angry at Buffy, and it gained partial control. Enough to alert Tara to a problem and send Willow to me for help. By not using magic and meditating to control her emotions, it was kept from gaining strength this week."

"How does Ethan fit in all of this?"

Ethan, who had been leaning back in the chair, sat up. "Chaos sent me here. When I found out that Rupert had married his Slayer, I thought that was the source of chaotic energy in Sunnydale, but when I did a casting to be sure, it pinpointed the college. I walked around there for a couple of days before signs seemed to indicate that it was Willow. I broke into her room at the dorm and removed some hairs to do further spells. What I discovered sent me to Rupert, and the rest you know."

Tara looked troubled. "What would have happened if you couldn't stop it?"

"The Budjuri would have continued to hide in Willow while it strengthened and learned to control her. Just as soon as it felt ready, it would have opened the portal to it's own dimension, and humanity would have been destroyed." 

Giles went back to the sofa and stood over Willow. "I wasn't there to help her with the restoration spell, to make sure the casting was done properly. We had never discussed using that level of power before, she probably didn't even know that she should set wards. It's a miracle that the backlash didn't kill her."

He reached down and placed his hand on her head. "Willow has the potential to become very powerful." Giles looked at Tara. "I would like to begin training the both of you. I don't think that Willow should be doing magic of any kind, no matter how simple it appears it be, unless it's here under my supervision. She must learn control."

Tara smiled. "I think that's a wonderful idea. This would be a safe place; a place where we wouldn't have to worry about roommates or nosy neighbors."

"I agree," Willow said sleepily. "I would love to practice with Giles. He knows how to do things right."

"Willow," Tara exclaimed happily. "How long have you been awake?"

"Since Ethan made that thing leave. It was just too much of an effort to talk." She opened her eyes and smiled at Giles. "I feel better than better. All the anger is gone." She raised herself up slightly and smiled at Ethan. "Thank you."

Ethan smirked at her. "You're welcome. If you ever decide that you're interested in men, give me a call. We would make one hell of a team."

Buffy snorted. "Ethan's back to normal."

Anya suddenly spoke up. "If the demon is gone and Willow's better, can we leave? Even though I can't do magic anymore, being around that much magical energy made me horny. I want to have sex with Xander. Now."

Xander moaned and hid his face in his hands. Buffy giggled. "Yes, Anya, you can leave. Thank you for your help." Anya grabbed Xanders' hand and dragged him out the back door.

Buffy looked at the others. "I hope she lets him get her home first." They all laughed, except Giles, who turned and went into the other room. Buffy turned to Ethan, bewildered. "What did I say?"

Ethan stood and stretched. "I think it's time for us to go as well. If you would allow me, I'll help you back to the dorm." He walked over and extended a hand to Willow.

She blinked for a moment, glanced towards the doorway to the other room, then looked at Tara. "Right, we're ready to go. We'll call you later, Buffy. Probably tomorrow, so don't expect a call to interrupt you tonight. Not like it did the other morning, and I'm shutting up now." Ethan lifted her to her feet, supporting her on one side, while Tara supported her other. 

As the trio was going through the back door, Buffy heard Willow ask Ethan, "Are you going to be all right? You don't look very well."

Ethan replied, "Not to worry, give me a few days and I'll be as right as Rayne." The closing door cut off the sound of the girls groaning at his pun.

Buffy stood still, stunned to be so suddenly alone. Why had everyone left so quickly? She thought back through the conversations and remembered Anya's 'Being around that much magical energy made me horny.' Was that why Rupert had gone to the other room, because he was aroused and hadn't wanted the others to see? Only one way to tell. She walked into the outer room of the shop.

Giles was standing behind the counter, a clipboard in his hand, and he appeared to be studying it intently. Buffy walked over to the counter. "You left the room kinda quick. Did I say something wrong?"

Giles looked up in alarm. "No, love, it wasn't anything you said. I just remembered something I wanted to check. Go on back with the others, I'll just be a few minutes."

"Too late, they're gone."

"Gone?"

"Ethan offered to help Tara get Willow back to the dorm and they left." Buffy walked slowly around the counter and stopped behind Giles. "Are you sure you wanted to check something, or did you want to hide something?" She slid her arms around his waist, one hand caressing down the front of his jeans. She pressed gently against the impressive bulge she found there. Buffy tightened her other arm and pressed a kiss to the middle of his back. "Rupert."

Giles shuddered and spun around, catching her mouth in a brief but intense kiss. "You know what it does to me when you say my name." He took her mouth again.

Buffy opened her mouth and sent her tongue questing for his. His taste was familiar to her now, but this time there was something else. She pulled back, smiling. "You taste different. Is it because of the magic?"

Giles flushed slightly. "I don't know. No one has ever asked me that before."

"Hmm, we'll need to run some experiments. But later, not now. Now I want you."

"Buffy, we can't here. We'll have to wait until we get home."

"Why? The doors are locked, the blinds are down and no one knows we're here. We should christen the place." She smiled wickedly at him, rubbing against his arousal. "Besides, you don't really want to wait, do you?"

Giles growled, and crushed her lips beneath his own. The full force of his hunger broke over Buffy, battering her senses. She sent one hand burrowing into his hair, holding on to the only solid thing in a world of whirling emotions. 

Giles torn his mouth from hers, pressing open-mouthed kissed down her neck. When he reached the pulse point behind her left ear, he gently bit her. Buffy shuddered and tightened her legs around his waist. That's when she realized that she was sitting on the sales counter, and Giles was rubbing against her. She gave a breathless giggle, and pulled his face away from her neck. Buffy waited until his eyes focused, then said, "You keep putting me on counters."

His grin was pure Ripper. "I do believe you were right, we need to christen the shop. It's a good thing you wore a skirt today." His hands ran up the sides of her legs, pushing the skirt up around her hips. He gave a sharp tug, and her panties were ripped away. Keeping his gaze locked to hers, Giles gingerly opened his jeans, pulled her hips closer to the edge of the counter, and with one thrust slid deep into his wife. 

They both held still for a moment, savoring the feel of their joining. Buffy caressed his face. "Heaven," she said. Giles leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Home," was his reply. Buffy clenched her inner muscles around him. Giles groaned and started moving.

 

Just after midnight Angel was patrolling downtown Sunnydale. He frowned slightly at the sight of what he thought was Giles' car in front of the magic shop. He heard the closing of a door in the alley and moved to investigate. There was a feminine giggle. Angel blinked, startled, and quickly concealed himself.

Giles and Buffy emerged from the alley and headed for the car. They were both very disheveled, and, at least to his vampire senses, reeked of sex. As Giles opened the car door for Buffy he said, "We well and truly christened the shop. I don't know how I'm going to be able to wait on customers at that counter."

"What about the back room? Every time I train in there I'm going to think about our 'training' session tonight. You are a sex god, Mr. Giles."

"Just showing that I could keep up with that rumored Slayer stamina, Mrs. Giles." The two laughed and Giles started the car, driving away.

Angel started after them wistfully. He was happy for them, he really was, it was just……

He turned and resumed his patrol. He thought about the prophecy that Wesley had found. That a vampire with a soul could become human after he saved enough lives. It had to mean him. And if it did, then maybe, someday, he could find real happiness too.

Maybe.

 

The End.


End file.
